Maker Spotlight: Hollie Eccles of Curious Magpie Jewellery: On Melted Rings, Casting Pinecones, and Learning to Do Things Differently
- Linda Sandeman
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Hollie Eccles has been making jewellery for over 20 years. She trained formally, worked inside two established jewellery businesses, one in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, one in London and now runs Curious Magpie Jewellery from a garden studio in rural Leicestershire, casting rings and pendants from real pinecones and acorns using a 5,000-year-old technique. But like every maker I've ever spoken to, her first attempt at soldering silver ended in a small disaster.
Where it started
Hollie's fascination with jewellery began the way a lot of ours do, as a child, rifling through her grandmother's jewellery box.
"I remember exploring my grandmother's jewellery box, trying on her treasures and feeling fascinated by their beauty."
That early fascination sat quietly until an Art Foundation course after her A-levels, where one metalwork module was enough to change her direction entirely. She went on to study Design Crafts at De Montfort University, specialising in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing but as she's quick to point out, the degree was only the beginning.
Real skill comes from the bench, not the classroom
After university, Hollie spent two years with a wholesale pearl brand in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, before moving to London to work as a jewellery designer and studio workshop manager for an established brand.
"Most of my skills have come from hands-on experience in the jewellery industry... understanding the process and then finding your own way of working makes your jewellery more unique and personal."
"The first time I soldered a piece of silver, I melted it!"
If you've ever felt intimidated picking up a torch for the first time, you're in good company.
"I had practiced a lot with base metals, but when it came to silver, I panicked, overheated it, and the ring warped and began to blob. My tutor was very reassuring though, and encouraged me to try again and learn from the mistake."
The mistake she sees again and again
"I often see reels of people soldering and using far too much solder, which ends up spreading across the entire piece rather than just the joint."
Her fix for small, fiddly joins is syringe solder — quicker, neater, and easier to control.
Casting from acorns and pinecones
Curious Magpie's signature pieces come from Lost Wax Casting,a technique over 5,000 years old.
From a dream to a business
Curious Magpie began in 2015, when Hollie moved back to Leicestershire and finally acted on years of planning and saving.
"It took almost a month to make my first proper sale (not to friends or family) but I still remember the electric thrill I felt when that order appeared in my inbox. That first sale soon turned into ten, then a hundred, and now thousands."
The garden studio where it all happens
Her advice to anyone starting out
"It's ok to do things differently... I used to feel nervous explaining my methods if they didn't follow the traditional approach, but now I celebrate them, as I believe this individuality is what makes my jewellery truly my own."
Where to Find Hollie
A note from me: I feature jewellers like Hollie because they remind us that soldering isn't just about clean joins — it's about making pieces that carry meaning. If you're a home-based maker struggling to bring your designs to life, I'd love to help.
Still finding soldering unpredictable at your own bench? Here's where to start: