Nearly 40, with a young daughter and a husband, Kristine was entrenched in her family and a lucrative, full-time position as a legal assistant. She was burned out with her work and frustrated but still afraid to let go of the security of a steady income. Besides, she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do.

She has been dabbling in artistic ventures since childhood and one of her first blue ribbons was for an art project in the 5th grade. Kristine received accolades for her artwork throughout her life and even has a very early memory of summer camp when she was about five or six and her teachers were all standing in awe of the way she glued beans to a paper plate!! She loved to decorate things, take pictures and sew--clothes, curtains and pillows, purses, quilts--everything imaginable without a pattern. She baked elaborate cakes, she sang.

While she was encouraged to continue her education, she felt confused about what she really wanted to do. And there was the ever-present pressure to do something practical. She changed her major often in college, and eventually put it on a shelf. She admits she was afraid to "follow her heart," although she always knew she was an artist, destined to do something special, and sees now that she was trying too hard to find it instead of simply following her bliss.

Once Kristine's daughter was born and her legal assistant career well underway, she started making jewelry with a friend just for fun. She loved doing it and the first time she brought some pieces into her workplace to show them around, she sold two weeks’ salary worth of jewelry in one afternoon! That was certainly a moment of epiphany for the budding jewelry designer, but she still didn't believe that she could make a living as an artist. It certainly wasn't motivation enough for her to quit her job and seriously consider making jewelry fulltime. But, eventually, the carpal tunnel that she had been dealing with for years was enough.

After painful surgeries on both hands, Kristine realized she HAD to stop working at the law office and left her position there in 2004. Her small family took a big financial hit; a second mortgage on their home was necessary, she and her husband almost divorced. Times were tough.

Despite those hard times, Kristine instinctively knew everything was going to be okay. She knew it was time to let go and follow her passion. In her own words, "I had been fighting my destiny for so long, but then I had come full circle and it was right there staring me in the face and I couldn’t deny it. One of the last things my father said to me before he died was, ‘Kristine, make your jewelry!!’ It was almost like a command. I still hear him saying those words."

Kristine Riis has now been creating handcrafted, original jewelry designs since 2001. Her inspiration comes from the beauty of the natural world and the materials it provides. Kristine spent her summers growing up along the beautiful shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She spent every waking minute in the summertime exploring the lakeshores and the forests not far from her home. Kristine was always bringing home shells, rocks, feathers, anything she could find to store in her “treasure box,” and this passion for the earth and all the beauty it provides can still be felt when you hold one of her timeless collectibles in your hand.

Today, Kristine scours the country to hand-select the unusual gemstones and organic materials used to produce her collection of necklaces, lariats, earrings and bracelets. To create her truly unique designs, she incorporates techniques such as beading, knotting, hammering, and wire-wrapping to leather, cotton and other organic elements. Her customers love the uncomplicated, often earthy, yet elegant styles she creates. Kristine's adventurous spirit is expressed in her enduring, distinctive designs. We hope you will fall in love with a Kristine Riis Design original and that it brings you years of enjoyment.