o’h
Holly O’Hanlon is a jeweller based in London.
Jewellery
Bespoke
About
Driven by the complexities of process, Holly eschews the traditional motifs of fine and contemporary jewellery, and enhances the archetypes found within Fine Jewellery to create designs that combine fluidity and use. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted from her Farringdon workshop using recycled precious metals, diamonds and freshwater pearls.
Utilising traditional techniques and minimal to no wastage, Holly playfully explores the flux between creation and destruction – spotlighting the everyday by framing the unobserved lines and forms found in urban constructs.
She is an alumna of Central Saint Martins and honed her skills under the mentorship of master metalsmith Tore Svensson in Gothenburg, Sweden. After completing the prestigious Setting Out programme at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, she launched her eponymous fine jewellery brand in 2020.
Holly’s work has been exhibited across the UK and Europe at Goldsmiths’ Fair, Collect Art Fair, Galerie Marzee, Theo Fennell, the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Talente Munich, and JOYA Barcelona. Her designs have also been featured in publications such as British Vogue, Current Obsession, Vanity Fair, and Man About Town.
As an integral material, the pearl — with its inherent preciousness and distinctive function in conventional jewellery — is a continuous component within my designs and structures. Exploring the capabilities and potential of its natural beauty and form, this body of work aims to disrupt the traditional archetypes and silhouettes — by individually slicing and grinding each of these natural forms using traditional goldsmithing techniques and Japanese lapidary blocks.
The pearls are set and supported using a practical, functional element in order to juxtapose their contradictory or opposing values. By considering the practicalities of jewellery and its function, the androgynous and versatile pieces are influenced by the quietness of the pearl, and its wild beauty — the fluid, soft line of the freshwater pearl is paired alongside a matte gold sheet as to consider the natural tensions between both materials, allowing the contrasts and commonalities to be seen.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre, 42 Britton Street
London, EC1M 5AD, UK
Contact
hi@hollyohanlon.com