Ama McKinley

Ama McKinley is the founder and creative director of Ilium Wing, a fine jewelry house redefining waist adornment as contemporary luxury.

Trained as a goldsmith with formal gemological education from the Gemological Institute of America, McKinley approaches adornment with technical precision and historical awareness. Her work draws from ancestral waist adornment practices across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, traditions that positioned the waist as a site of power and sovereignty.

In 2024, she debuted Ilium Wing as an Emerging Designer at The Couture Show, introducing the house as a distinct voice within modern fine jewelry.

Each design is developed in close collaboration with master artisans. Gold is shaped and refined by hand. Gemstones are selected individually for depth and permanence. Proportion and articulation are studied carefully so that every piece rests naturally at the body’s center.