When it comes to Ricki Reine's jewelry, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
Semi-precious stones and metals are often juxtaposed with salvaged wood, shell and leather to create one-off works of wearable art.
"I use a lot of natural materials in them. It's a big mix of all kinds of stuff that's in there," says the longtime Lynn Valley resident. "I'm just trying to do some fun things that are sort of unconventional." Reine has dabbled in jewelry design for years but just recently launched a line, aptly named Mix Wearable Art. A selection of her necklaces is currently on display at End of the Line General Store in North Vancouver.
In addition to the aforementioned materials, Reine's pieces might also incorporate coral, recycled glass, lava stone, bone, ostrich eggshell and more. Some of these are found objects, others are locally sourced items imported from around the world. The Mix label currently consists of two necklace collections: the "full on" collection, defined by quirky compositions along the entire string; and the "corded collection," which features a limited number of bells and whistles either lumped together or spaced out along a leather string.
"So they're lighter and they're more casual and of course less expensive," Reine explains of the corded set. "Young people tend to really like them because they're sort of fun and funky and different and they go well with casual clothes."
Reine studied design at the University of Manitoba and had a long professional career as an interior designer, specializing in supportive interiors for health care and special needs groups.
"Design skills are very much transferable," she says, explaining how her interior design experience allowed her to transition into jewelry-making easily. "We learn the elements and the principals of design and so I'm just applying those now with a different medium."
The larger transition has been on the business end.
"It's very, very different to sell professional services, now I'm a product purveyor," she notes. "It's quite a different thing all together, so the learning of all this has been just terrifically enjoyable for me."
Aside from doing her silversmithing work at a special studio, Reine designs and handcrafts all her pieces in her North Vancouver home. Right now, she is focusing on necklaces because they offer more creative territory, but she plans to branch out into bracelets and earrings soon. Despite having just recently launched Mix Wearable Art, her work is already marked by a distinctive whimsical and mismatched style.
"They tend to be chunky, they tend to be colourful, and not symmetrical," she says. "It's the quirks of things that makes them interesting to me and so that's what I try to work into these."
Prices range from $45 to $190 and each item is registered by number and name. For more information, visit mixwearable.com.
