Monaco’s reputation for luxury, Mediterranean setting, and royal heritage all went into the creation of a new Honey by Kait collection named for the European principality, says brand founder and designer Kaitlyn O’Neill.
Debuting Aug. 14, the Monaco collection is a six-piece capsule including golden chains, to channel the sunset, pearls that remind O’Neill of the sea, and unique crests that make her think of Monaco’s royalty.
“This is how I view Monaco and its essence,” O’Neill says. “The whole collection highlights royal elegance, class, and days on the coast.”
Add in some champagne and the friends she traveled with, and you can see why O’Neill wanted to capture memories of an epic visit to Monaco earlier this year. Honey by Kait regularly offers vacation-themed collections, and O’Neill hopes this one lets Monaco’s style shine through.
Pearls are the main gemstone in the new Monaco collection from Honey by Kait, including a hand chain ($130), single-pearl necklace ($150), and pearl strand ($150).
The Monaco pieces include a pearl hand chain, a pearl strand, and two other necklace styles, including a lariat, holding a single pearl. There are also flat stud earrings with a crest pattern and hand chains accented with bezel stones, available in Mediterranean Bleu, Champagne Pink, and three other colors. Prices range from $108 for the earrings to $168 for the pearl lariat.
Each jewel holds a memory from O’Neill’s trip to Monaco or ties into the Honey by Kait jewelry universe, she says. For example, the hand chain is one of the brand’s best sellers, but for the ones in the Monaco collection, she used stones with colors reminiscent of her experiences in the country.
She also chose to bring back Honey by Kait’s single-pearl look for some Monaco necklaces, and she went with gold vermeil for the collection to reflect the destination’s high-end appeal.
“I wanted to focus on the elegance of Monaco, and these pieces are meant to be styled in a European way where you feel so put together and everything seems elevated,” O’Neill says. “You always seem to dress a bit better when you’re traveling in Europe, and I wanted to bring that notion of dressing up a bit more back to the States.”
The crest on the Monaco stud earrings ($108) reminds Honey by Kait founder Kaitlyn O’Neill of Monaco’s royal family.
O’Neill’s friend, influencer Hannah St. John, wore the jewelry while vacationing in Monaco this spring. St. John has also collaborated with Honey by Kait on a race-car-themed HSJ bag charm inspired by St. John’s relationship with Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson.
At O’Neill’s Styling Suite in Newport Beach, Calif.—where she works with clients like St. John to come up with jewelry looks that go with their apparel for work or travel—Honey by Kait held a VIP event last weekend to share the Monaco collection with an invited group of the brand’s superfans. They got to view the jewelry before it became available on the company’s direct-to-consumer website and buy a few pieces.
“I have a feeling this collection will go very fast, because they were ready to buy more when it officially launched,” O’Neill says. “It was a great experience for me as well because I’ve never done this kind of preview before. I also got to interact with the Honey by Kait community in person, which I don’t get to do very often.”
Top: Kaitlyn O’Neill in Monaco, the inspiration for a new collection from her brand Honey by Kait, this past May (photos courtesy of Honey by Kait)