DesignHER is a platform that celebrates the vision, craftsmanship, and innovation of women in design. By curating stories from leading female designers, artisans, and creatives, our latest series, in collaboration with Women Create, offers an intimate look at the diverse paths these women take to shape their industries and their own businesses. Through thoughtful interviews and features, the platform illuminates the artistry and technical mastery that define their work, while exploring the deeper narratives of creativity, resilience, and leadership. DesignHER honors the unique perspectives of women, fostering a community where design excellence and empowerment intersect to inspire the next generation of trailblazers.
Holly discovered this antique 9k gold signet at the Hillsborough Antiques Art Design Show, featuring a carnelian hexagon inlaid with a gold anchor and finished with bold geometric shoulders.
aspire design and home: In what ways do you feel your work contributes to the representation of women in the art and design world?
Holly Hollenbeck: I feel the jewelry world and interior design world are very similar in that they offer great opportunities for women. The clients, at least for me, in jewelry are nearly all women. I love how empowering it is for a woman to buy her own pieces, and not wait to be gifted them by a man. The women I know are strong, know their own style and taste, and are proud to be buying pieces for themselves that have meaning to them.
adh: Can you discuss any female artists or designers who have influenced your work?
HH: I am a huge Freida Kahlo fan. Her creativity was boundless, as was her ability to plumb the depths of her personal tragedies and challenges to create meaningful and beautiful art. Freida’s ability to combine the real and the fantastical, her use of color, it is all so inspiring.
adh: How do you incorporate your experiences as a woman into your storytelling through design?
HH: One of the things that I love about antique jewelry is that we are repurposing pieces often worn by the men of old for today’s woman. Take pocket watch chains for example. They are immensely collectible and beloved by antique jewelry collectors. They would have been worn in the Edwardian and Victorian eras by a man, the t-bar would go through his buttonhole, and the dog clip and/or bolt would have held his pocket watch and perhaps a fob. These days, women are wearing all of these pieces, and in new, modern ways. I adore antique pocket watches (especially the diamond-encrusted ones!), and I love the pocket watch chains, which I consider to be a staple of any antique jewelry collection. I like to think of what those stuffy gentlemen of old would make of me sporting a late 1800s diamond pocket watch suspended from a pocket watch t bar chain around my neck with my sexy black power suit going to my design studio! Look out, gents!
A bespoke pendant from Holly featuring a hand-carved Medusa intaglio in clear quartz, set in a bold 14k gold bezel, an emblem of strength, empowerment and personal growth.
adh: Have you noticed any shifts in the industry regarding the recognition and support of women artists?
HH: I feel, like in so many industries, women are on the rise in the jewelry world. From Marla Aaron to Harwell Godfrey, women are simply killing it in the jewelry design and business industry. And I frankly find their pieces so much more interesting and collectible than the stuffy, predictable pieces from the big, established names of old.
adh: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in your craft?
HH: I have been working in the world of interior design for 25 years, and have my own interior design firm, HSH Interiors. So that is what I call my “day job”. I started in the world of jewelry 10 years ago, as a collector first. I am lucky that my interior design work takes me to so many wonderful places in the world for projects, design fairs, awards ceremonies, or conferences: Paris, London, Dublin, Edinburgh, New York, Miami and Los Angeles, this year alone. And when I am in these places, I hunt for jewelry. My collecting turned me into a passionate student of antique and vintage jewelry. I love learning, and getting to learn in a new field is really fun for me! Once I fell in love with some of the styles, materials and craft of antique pieces, I started designing my own pieces using some of the original materials or methods, but I reimagine them for the modern woman.
adh: What inspired you to pursue high-end artisanal crafts specifically?
HH: I am a lover of craft, whether a custom-made chair, a commissioned artwork, or a bespoke piece of jewelry. In my interior design work, I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best furnishings and lighting makers in the world, both large and small. And I have always enjoyed working closely with craftspeople to create custom pieces for my clients. Making bespoke jewelry is very akin to designing a completely custom chandelier, or a custom dining table, or a chair, just in a more miniature format – color, form, scale – all the same rules apply. But on the whole, the turnaround time is much faster so it is really gratifying.
Holly transformed this rare late-1700s George III half guinea into a stunning pendant, encasing it in a custom 14k bezel set with 44 natural diamonds and finished with delicate mill-grain detailing.
adh: How do you balance the traditional aspects of your craft with contemporary trends?
HH: I try to ignore trends in both my interior design work and in my jewelry collecting and making. I think the best idea for any client in their home, or in their personal style is to find what works for them, what embodies their spirit and their lifestyle, and embrace that. The most revered icons in fashion throughout history made their own way, they did not chase trends.
adh: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work?
HH: I am inspired by everything all the time – fashion, travel, galleries, museums, art, theater, architecture, antique jewelry pieces, all of it! I love to travel and luckily get to do so quite a bit. When I do I make time outside of work to visit places that create inspiration. And I am always looking at Instagram, websites, etc. at things that feed my creative processes. I haven’t seemed to run out of ideas yet!
adh: Are there any particular themes or messages you aim to convey through your art?
HH: I think jewelry gives women a fantastic opportunity to express themselves. The pieces we wear can be just for fun, or can have so much personal meaning. I have always been fascinated, for example, with memento mori pieces from the Georgian and Victorian eras. People in those days used to wear specially commissioned pieces of jewelry with the names, dates, even the hair(!) of the deceased in remembrance of them. There is something so poignant and transcendent about that for me. I try, with the bespoke pieces I create, to embody some of that highly personal, emotional, special feel. Those are the pieces that can give a woman strength, help her remember, and focus her energy. For example, I create bespoke signets, which can be engraved with a motto, or initials, and embedded with a gem, and with that on a finger to look at daily – it is just so special. And I create bespoke intaglio rings and pendants that can be hand carved with anything, initials, a favorite animal or flower or symbol.
adh: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career in high-end artisanal crafts?
HH: I am grateful for the creative outlet jewelry provides me in the bespoke pieces I get to create. I love the thrill I get when I find a special vintage or antique piece, and when that piece finds its forever owner, I am so happy to have been the conduit. Like the old homes I love and serially remodel, I feel I am a custodian of these pieces for the next generation, where they will be loved and cherished and hopefully passed down again.
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