The Russian-inspired jewellery, all freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals in ruby, light gold and smoky grey, is lavish, beautiful and looks almost too heavy for the model's head and delicate collarbones.

But, as Walsh, explains, this commission was never intended to be worn by the average woman. "I was able to go over the top. On a normal piece of jewellery, nobody really wants that much but it was very nice as a designer to be able to throw more stones at it and just keep going."

Walsh, who has a shop on Lower Stephen's Street in Dublin 2 and whose work has been featured in Vogue and Marie Claire, trawled through old pictures and historical references but says she was interested in that era anyway, which sticks out as a notable jewellery period in history.

While she had created bridal tiaras in the past, the headpiece represented a new challenge. The necklace too required some mathematical calculations so that it would sit properly and the crystals and pearls were embroidered onto the filigree first, before the piece was actually assembled.

Was she nervous at all about working on a project of such grandiosity? "A bit. But I have been working in jewellery for the last 20 years so I'm relatively confident I would do a few sample pieces to see what configurations and what combinations of stones and colours work the best, but nothing breaks, " she laughs.