Kathleen Kedwell: Jewellery designer inspired by famous mother-in-law

It was a stint with a style icon that gave Brisbane mum Kathleen Kedwell the confidence to forge her own path in jewellery design. Now, her statement earrings are turning heads.

If Kathleen Kedwell had an alter ego, it would be a “Southern belle, the Dolly Parton type, who is big and loud”.

Dressed in glittery cowboy boots and a flouncy floral mini dress, Kathleen is right on cue.

So are her earrings — huge statement pieces in gleaming gold and silver hues.

The 30-year-old mother of two — who took to designing jewellery with the encouragement of her mother-in-law, internationally renowned jeweller Margot McKinney — says wearing bold accessories is “a confidence thing”.

“Some people wonder if they can wear big earrings, but in fact most people can pull them off,” she says.

Jewellery designer Kathleen Kedwell at home in Ashgrove. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

Kathleen, who grew up on a cattle property in north Queensland before attending St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot, released her first collection in 2017.

Her second landed in February this year, and her third and fourth (featuring semiprecious gems) will launch in August and September respectively.

There is also a clipped range of complementary neckpieces, cuffs and rings, with all pieces manufactured in India.

“Jewellery design was actually something I was hoping to do earlier, but I didn’t have the faith that I had that ability, even though I’ve always been a creative type,” she says.

Working with Margot for the best part of two years helped convince Kathleen to give it a go. The pair connected in late 2011 shortly after Kathleen began dating her now-husband Cameron, 36, the son of Margot’s husband Peter Kedwell.

Kathleen and daughter Lillian with Margot McKinney

Kathleen had been working in event management, armed with a Bachelor of International Hotel and Tourism Management from the University of Queensland, when Margot asked her to help with the “relations side” of her business.

The Margot McKinney juggernaut had already begun, expanding into prestigious US markets, including Neiman Marcus.

“Margot is a fourth-generation jeweller and I learnt so much from her, the unglamorous nuts and bolts of business that few people see,” Kathleen says.

“I loved it, but just before Cameron and I got married (in October 2013), I decided it was wise to separate work and family.”

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A job running conferences for the Australian Institute of Management followed until, in late 2015, Kathleen was made redundant.

Not one to sit still for long, the then 27-year-old committed to further study — she is halfway through a degree in speech pathology at the Australian Catholic University — but says the birth of her first child, in July 2016, was the catalyst she needed to pen her first earring designs.

Cameron and Kathleen on their wedding day

“The timing was perfect … as much as I adore my children — Clancy is nearly three and Lillian is seven months — I feel so lucky to have the freedom to do a little something for myself.”

Kathleen credits her family with sparking her independent spirit. The oldest of three children to Peter and Katrina Faust, she grew up on “Breadalbane”, a 4000ha property in Proserpine, but when her parents suggested boarding school at St Margaret’s, 12-year-old Kathleen jumped at it.

“I adored boarding, however, it was short-lived because not long after I’d started Year 8 my parents moved to Brisbane so my brothers could go to Gregory Terrace (St Joseph’s College, which doesn’t take boarders).”

Her brother Peter Faust, 28, is a carpenter, and the other, Matthew, 26, is a grazier.

Kathleen’s parents split their time between Clayfield and Proserpine, where they have a concreting and paving business.

Kathleen shows of her designs. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

“The challenge for me now, with little children, is trying to be patient and let the jewellery business evolve slowly. It gets my attention every single day; I am everything — bookkeeper, pick packer and designer — yet so grateful to be able to do what I do, and Cameron is a big part of that.”

The couple met eight years ago at the Stockman’s Bar and Grill at the Ekka, when Cameron plucked up the courage to introduce himself.

“I was on the board of the RNA’s Future Directions Committee (which aims to engage younger people about the show) and I’d been buzzing around all day,” explains Kathleen, “so I went to have a drink later with a few cousins and my father, and Cameron just came over.

“I was soon drawn to his kindness, his soft side, and that’s never changed.”

They became engaged 10 months later, with a fancy yellow diamond Margot McKinney ring that Cameron helped design.

Kathleen and Cameron have other business interests, including Captain & Co cafe at Proserpine Airport and, until recently, Buzz cafe in The Emporium in Fortitude Valley. They are also renovating their 1950s home in Ashgrove.

“Life is very busy,” says Kathleen, “but I have never felt happier — once you learn to trust your talents and turn something that brings you joy into a lasting business, that’s pretty special.”