Jewellery to Last a Lifetime - The Gloss Magazine

Jewellery to Last a Lifetime

THIS month, independent Irish jewellery designer and maker, Margaret O’Rourke’s MoMuse brand opens a jewellery boutique in-store at Avoca, Kilmacanogue. It will feature the finest and newest MoMuse pieces that are designed to last a lifetime – the perfect gift for the jewellery-lover in your life …

Now that restrictions are easing, we’re all enjoying the little moments we’ve missed over the past 18 months, like meeting up for coffee with friends, soaking up the joys of nature on swims or walks with friends or visiting our favourite restaurants.

In a new series, we meet some of Avoca’s firm friends and fans to find out what it is about Avoca that makes it such a special, memorable place for so many. Below, Margaret O’Rourke, jewellery designer and maker, and owner of MoMuse, shares her #AvocaMoments.

We’d also love you to share your #AvocaMoments with us. To be in with a chance to win two beautiful pieces by MoMuse, a pair of 9kt gold hoop earrings and a 9kt three star pendant (pictured below), all you have to do is share your #AvocaMoments. You can email us on digital@thegloss.ie or share a picture or video on Instagram, make sure to tag and follow us @theglossmag and @avocaireland and use #AvocaMoments so we can see your entries. 

Margaret O’Rourke, jewellery designer and maker, and owner of MoMuse, the exquisite jewellery store in Powerscourt Townhouse, is extremely excited. This month, she celebrates a first for MoMuse, she is opening a replica MoMuse boutique at Avoca, Kilmacanogue, complete with the flagship’s pretty interior features and style of display and range of jewellery styles. She has decided that MoMuse at Avoca will focus on pieces intended to last forever and be handed down for generations to come: delicate 9kt and 18kt fine gold pieces, necklaces, rings and bracelets with hand-picked Swarovski crystals and ethically sourced diamonds, baroque pearls and semi-precious stones from all around the world. All MoMuse fine gold pieces are made in Europe and hallmarked in Ireland. The 14kt gold-filled collection is handmade by the skilled MoMuse team in Dublin.

The initiative marks a high point in the long creative journey for the Irish designer. “I’ve always been a very creative person but my path to making and creating beautiful pieces truly started in 2004. It’s all been a dream come true since – and this opportunity to open a second MoMuse within Avoca, Kilmacanogue is the icing on the cake!”

The association between the brands has been one of longstanding mutual admiration. Avoca have been proud stockists of MoMuse jewellery since 2016. The decision by Avoca to feature the MoMuse collections in their stores was, according to Margaret, instrumental in helping her build the brand. “It is lovely to work with people who respect and want to support Irish design.”

As well as ensuring all the best jewellery pieces are available at MoMuse at Avoca, the signature MoMuse customer experience will be replicated too. “Having worked with luxury brands, Hermès and Chanel, where I gained invaluable experience in all aspects of jewellery but especially on the importance of customer experience, I insist that at MoMuse we go above and beyond for anybody who is choosing a MoMuse gift for themselves or someone they love.”

Margaret’s career path began in 2004, first selling her pieces in local markets, then collaborating with other designers to sell as part of a joint enterprise in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, before establishing a standalone store in the same location in 2009. In the years since, MoMuse has evolved, attracting loyal and new customers for its simple, modern and dainty pieces that never outdate. A key moment was in 2017, when the New York Times identified the MoMuse store as one of the top five places to shop in Dublin, placing it firmly on the map for customers, especially those visiting from abroad or buying online.

While the roots of Margaret’s inspiration are firmly Irish, her ideas have come from places all over the world. “My ideas are drawn from travel and I have been lucky to experience many beautiful cities all over the globe. The night sky is different everywhere and is a signature theme for me: my collections feature dainty stars, fallen and shooting stars, crescent moons, lightning bolts,” says Margaret. These elements lend themselves to her minimal, restrained style: “I’m a firm believer of the notion that less is more.”

As a designer, the environment in which customers engage with MoMuse is all-important. “Our lives are so busy now, these moments of reflection, when we are choosing something for ourselves or for someone else, should be calm and feel enjoyable, in a beautiful space and feel supported. “After all,” says Margaret, “these times when we consider the person who will receive the gift are precious.”

Margaret believes the MoMuse at Avoca shopping experience will be as memorable and meaningful as it is in the flagship store. For her the best #AvocaMoments are around gift choosing and giving: “When choosing a gift it is very important to think deeply about who the gift is for, to really understand what is going to suit their personality and style. We take time and care helping people choose the perfect gift, how it’s presented – don’t we all love the element of surprise in a beautifully wrapped gift?”

The MoMuse boutique at Avoca Kilmacanogue will be open at the end of November, from 9am-6pm, seven days a week. www.avoca.com

*Competition winner will receive a pair of 9kt gold hoop earrings and a 9kt three star pendant.

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