Dolly Parton Is Still A Diamond In A Rhinestone World — And Her New Kendra Scott Jewelry Collab Proves It

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Dolly Parton was undeniably born to shine, but that does mean the path has always glittered with gold.

“I always say we’re both diamonds in the rough,” jewelry designer Kendra Scott told Rolling Stone, who founded her eponymous brand in 2002 and sites Parton’s 9 to 5 as a major inspiration for her career. “We grew up in the woods, too. In those early days we’d only having running water if we’d run and get it,” the country legend chimes in over Zoom. Scott’s mother was raised very much like Parton was in Southern Illinois, living in a community of farmers and coal miners. “Nobody grew up to become jewelry or fashion designers where I lived,” Scott muses, “but I always had that in my heart that I wanted to do something bigger.”

Every since the two met, they’ve clicked, not just because of their humble beginnings. It’s their mutual entrepreneurial spirit (and love of all things that sparkly) that’s now sparked a multi-year collaboration — starting with a new collection inspired by the 50th anniversary of Parton’s 1974 album Love Is Like a Butterfly, which was released the same year Scott was born.

“When we were designing this collection, there are these pieces that Dolly couldn’t wait to wear because they were big and camp,” Scott says. “But then we were thinking about, well, who are the fans out there who want to find their inner Dolly? Maybe it’s a younger girl who can’t wear a big statement necklace. So we wanted to make delicate, little pieces so that they could have a little piece of Dolly everywhere they go, like the Ari Heart Music Note pendant.”

Parton laughs at that. “I’d never wear that by itself, though. I like to go big, bold, and fabulous.” While future collections might just go “bolder” as the songwriter teased, she acknowledges that when it comes to personal style, it’s more important to be true to yourself. “If you feel comfortable wearing it, whatever that is, people are going to feel comfortable around you. I know I’ve always been over-exaggerated and overdone-up, and I know I look totally artificial, but where it counts, I’m totally real.”

Parton and Scott sat down with RS to talk finding your own personal style, stories from the set of Parton’s short-lived 1976 variety show Dolly, and what’s in store for her upcoming album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables.

What’s your favorite quality about each other that you brought to this collection?

Scott: Well, since I was a little girl, Dolly was the one. She has been the one in my life that I always looked up to. I listened to her music, I watched 9 to 5 until I wore out the VHS tape. She was just my role model, and I thought if I could be like her when I grow up, I’d have that confidence, that kindness and her mentality of how she approached the world.

Parton: [Laughs] I’ll take it from here. I was performing in Austin, Texas and someone said, “Kendra Scott wants to meet you.” And I said, “Will you bring her back here?” So she came backstage and I mean, it was just instantaneous, because I knew who she was, too. I know so many people that wear her jewelry, and I’ve worn some of it myself — I usually like bigger, big ol’, gaudy stuff, though. But anyway, we just clicked as people. And just before we left, we said, “You know what, this is just too good to pass up. We need to get together and and make this something.” So that’s when we decided that we were going to do a jewelry collection.

Scott: I had just finished writing a book called Born to Shine, and Dolly actually ended up writing the forward. That was the even before we started doing this collab. We’ve just had all these special moments together, and this is a big celebration of that connection. You know, I think we share so many of the same core values of why we work hard. We’ve got a lot of grit and determination, but we also love to make people happy, make them feel good and try to do good things in the world. And I think that’s where we were aligned the most.

What stuck with you specifically about that film, and did you apply any of that to how you run your business today?

Scott: To see that this was a man’s world, that there was a glass ceiling and women were only allowed to be assistants and bring them in the coffee? Well, Dolly, Jane [Fonda] and Lily [Tomlin], they decided that “we’re going to turn that upside down — we really want to empower women, and we want women to have a voice.” Why can’t they be running companies and running businesses? And, quite frankly, they probably do it better in a lot of cases. So I just fell in love with that idea. I think part of me becoming a business owner was that I wanted to have a company that was able to allow women to not just be powerful in business, but be able to be there for their families. Why can’t you have both? You shouldn’t have to decide on a great career or your family, you can have both if it’s the right employer supporting you. So my HQ in Austin, Texas is Dolly’s dream of 9 to 5. We have children’s playrooms, nursing rooms, etc. It’s just this beautiful, warm place where we lift each other up instead of tear each other down. For me, that little movie transformed my life.

Parton: We were just making a movie. I don’t suppose we even thought that was possible. We thought it should be, though. That was Jane Fonda’s whole idea behind doing 9 to 5. There were so many great things about that movie, and I’m so happy that you took so many of those great ideas and made it work in your company. And I knew a lot of that about you before I met you, but I didn’t realize you was a fan.

Now, I know the collection is inspired by your 1974 song, Love Is Like a Butterfly. Of everything in your extensive catalog, what made you choose this song to build the collection around?

Parton: I love butterflies. Always have since I was a little kid, and I’ve used that as my symbol through the years. Even the “W” in my Dollywood Theme Park is a butterfly. But I wrote that song back in 1974, and like you said, it’s 50 years old now. Now you tell the story about the butterfly.

Scott: [Laughs] So, we both love butterflies. But when I found out that song was written in 1974, I said, this has to be the first song — because we’re going to base every collection we do off of a song. I was born in 1974 and when she was writing this incredible song, here I was just coming into the world. She would become my idol. I feel like, in a lot of ways, she inspired me and so many others to have my wings and fly. So this necklace that Dolly is wearing has got iridescent abalone underneath, and we use these beautiful natural stones. But there’s only 1,974 of these statement pieces being made, although Dolly gets the first one.

Parton: I love being number one! [Laughs.]

And some people might now know that this song was used as the opening theme for your 1976 variety show, Dolly. Do you have any memorable stories from the set, or any any guests that were on that you remember?

Parton: Absolutely, that was my first Dolly show. I did another, a big variety show out of Hollywood, but this one was in the Seventies, and I had so many great guests. That was the first time I met Kenny Rogers. He was with First Edition at the time, but came on the show as a solo artist. He’s great, and he’s from Texas, by the way. Then, one of my favorite episodes was with Linda Ronstadt and Lou Harris back when we were all young. I played the guitar, and the three of us sang some of the old, old songs that they loved from the old world. One episode I had my family on, my mom and dad and all my brothers and sisters. I have so many memories about that whole show, and Love Is Like a Butterfly. I used to sit on a swing and just come down from the ceiling to the floor and start my show, and then I would always end it with I Will Always Love You.

Scott: Can we please start this show up again?

Parton: No, no way. [Laughs.] I’ll get you a copy.

Dolly, you have always described yourself as a rhinestone girl. So what is it that you love specifically about this jewelry collection?

Parton: I like it because it’s classy, it’s beautiful, and it’s affordable. It’s not cheap, but it’s affordable. You know, I’ve always said I’m a diamond in a rhinestone world. I never leave a rhinestone unturned.

Scott: We were born to shine. I always say we’re both diamonds in the rough.

You’ve got your upcoming album, Smoky Mountain DNA, that explores some of your family roots. And Kendra, you’ve spoken before about how your Midwestern roots have also played an essential role in your success. Can you both speak about some of the women in your family who have influenced you the most?

Scott: My mother grew up very much like Dolly in Southern Illinois. She lived in a community with farmers and coal miners. She went to school in a one room school house. I remember even visiting my grandmother on the farm when I was a little girl and they still didn’t have indoor plumbing. When we were going out to the outhouse in the middle of the night, I would be so scared. I loved getting on the combines with my uncles. I love that life, and It’s such a big part of who I am still today.

But I think both of us came from a place where we weren’t expected to be this. Nobody grew up to become a jewelry or fashion designers where I lived, but I always had that in my heart that I wanted to do something bigger. And I love design, I love fashion, but it wasn’t something that seemed like it could ever be attainable. That just goes to show you that anything is possible. In this world, you just got to go for it and dream big.

Dolly: You know that’s true. Well, I believed that I could be a star, because I grew up in a family of music and among all these women my life — my mom, my aunts and my grandmas. There were so many great, strong women in our family. But getting back to Smoky Mountain DNA, this is a history we traced back all the way through the 1800s, all the way back to the old world, the origins. So for this album, I even get to sing with a lot of my old relatives that have been dead for years, my grandmas and my mom and all those — I went back and recorded with them on songs. We had those tracks because my mother’s people were all very musical. I have one aunt that was a great guitar player, and she was a Pentecostal preacher who wrote songs. I remember so much about her, and I was so greatly influenced by her. But that goes to show you — we grew up back in the woods, too. In those early days we had running water, if we’d run and get it ourselves. And nobody wanted to go to the outhouse at night [Laughs.]

Scott: I still can’t believe you were able to go back and get those recordings.

Parton: My first cousin, my uncle Louis, my Mom’s brother’s son Richie Owens, he’s the one who’s the family historian. So he started tracing all that back. He’s also a great engineer, musician, singer, so he put that all together. And there’s so much — there’s about 38 pieces of music in that album, and at one point might be a docuseries as well.

Besides music, you’re also well-known for having your own, very standout style. But how important do you think it is for someone to curate their own personal style?

Parton: I think it’s important to wear what you feel comfortable in. Whether it be your jewelry or your clothes, if you feel comfortable wearing it, people are going to feel comfortable around you. I know I’ve always been over-exaggerated and overdone-up, and I know I look totally artificial, but where it counts, I’m totally real. I think people respond to that more than how you look. They think either you’re funny or you’re funny-looking [laughs], but if you have that genuine thing inside, I think it doesn’t matter what you wear. If, inside, you feel like you want more, then that’s important, too.

But I’ve always respected Kendra — she has great style and great taste. I have a tendency to go overboard sometimes, but I do like it, though. When I’m going to a wedding or to a funeral, or if I’m going to make speech for the governor, I like to dress with her jewelry and the style she has, to have good taste. There’s a time and place for everything, right? I can dress down, but I still feel dressed up if I want to be.

Scott: There’s really something for everybody in this collection, which I think is so special, especially for people who are looking for their inner Dolly. She doesn’t doesn’t understand it [laughs]. I’m like, you have no idea how many people in the world want to be you!

Parton: Well, I’m older than jewelry [laughs]. So if I’ve been an inspiration to you or anybody else, I’m honored about that. But even at my age, I still love to look pretty, and I still so excited about this whole thing. So I’m going to be dressing up, wearing my inner Dolly and my outer Dolly.

The Dolly Parton x Kendra Scott collection is available in stores and online at KendraScott.com now.