All touch points of Cultus Artem, from the historic Bell Telephone exchange building that houses its atelier and headquarters to the choice of materials utilized in each of its bespoke pieces, are aligned with Holly’s dedication to capturing the beauty of a bygone era.

Rather than design jewelry for a moment or an occasion, she creates pieces that have a use beyond the singular, a wearability beyond the immediate. Eschewing the all-too-common predilection for mass consumption, Holly’s jewelry is crafted by master artisans using time honored, labor-intensive techniques, resulting in pieces that are engineered to last for generations to come.

Raised in Manhattan by creative parents who modeled tenacity and fostered a sense of discovery in their two daughters, Holly went on to study art and sculpture at Tulane University in New Orleans. Opting to follow a more “practical” path, she began working as a Wall Street broker, one of the few women of the time thriving on the chaotically competitive trading floor. It was a family friend that insisted on setting her up on a blind date that ended up changing the trajectory of Holly’s life. Nine months after that first date in New York City, which lasted for three days, Holly and “her Texan,” Alston, got married.

Shortly after moving to Houston, the couple was offered an opportunity to live abroad in Singapore, which they jumped at. It was there that Holly began taking classes in beading and metalsmithing, learning classic techniques on rudimentary equipment, and also opening a boutique where along with her jewelry, she specialized in Asian textiles and fashion. Throughout her time in Singapore, and her subsequent international travels, she sought out opportunities to hone her acumen, studying in places as far flung as London Goldsmith College and Haystack in Maine, learning the nuances of the craft endemic to these locals.

Beyond throwing herself into understanding all aspects of the design and manufacturing process, Holly immersed herself in other cultures and environments, which allowed her to amass an enviable collection of gemstones, textiles, plant extracts and memories that serve as a continuous source of inspiration. Holly also finds in nature an abundance of creative influences. Growing up a city kid, Holly relished summers being “absolutely feral” at the family home in Rhode Island, embracing the natural world and finding joy in the dichotomies that surrounded her.

The juxtaposition between urban and rustic landscapes are common themes throughout her work, most prominently in her Paradox collection, in which she pairs the rough with the refined, uniting the crystalline with the hand-hewn. In the Flats capsule collection, a mesa rising abruptly from desert plains is evident in the Crown Mesa ring, the paths of sidewinding snakes running through the arid flats of her family ranch can be seen in studied etchings in gold, and flecks of mica in the sandscape are represented by slices of garnet.

Working primarily in 18k gold, Holly approaches design from a “materials up” perspective and is drawn to “minimally interfered with material,” like polki diamonds and raw, untreated gemstones, which she pairs with perfectly cut specimens and unites with richly textured precious metals.

Carefully selecting each component part of her designs based on the function it can serve in the whole, Holly applies her deeply sculptural sensibility to the creation of timeless, sensorial compositions, symphonies of contrast and complement evoked in each one-of-a-kind creation.