Slate Jewelry
Member | CHRISTINE RIO
Victoria, BC
Christine Rio is a Metalsmith and Jewelry Designer living in Victoria BC, having moved back to her home town in 2021. After several decades in the corporate world, she began making jewelry at her kitchen table, before discovering a passion for metalwork and launching Slate Jewelry in 2016. Working in sterling silver or 14 k gold fill, she makes sculptural pieces of jewelry that emphasize texture and movement in the form. She accents these pieces with lush gemstones and freshwater pearls to add contrast to the dark patinas common to her work.
Jewelry journey: from an earring kit bought at Michael’s to exhibiting at Milan Jewelry Week. Dabbled in vintage pieces, steampunk designs, tiffany-style soldering. I’ve done bookbinding and made blank books with collaged covers. Learning to fabricate sterling was a game-changer with really having a chance to understand what fire can do to metal, and to push my own boundaries.
bio
Raised on the West Coast of British Columbia, Christine Rio is a rain-loving metalsmith who launched her contemporary jewelry brand, Slate Jewelry, in 2016 at Vancouver Fashion Week. While mostly self-taught, she has pursued additional courses from the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco, along with numerous classes led by noted silversmiths. Working out of her studio in Victoria, she strives to craft pieces of wearable art that strike a balance between classic minimalism and luxurious details. Drawing on her degree in Classical Studies, this gives voice to her organic “modern relic” design style. Influenced by movement and texture, history and surrealism, her work blends modern lines with a sense of found objects.
Slate Jewelry takes it name from the blank slate of opportunity that each piece of metal presents for a new creation. While most of Christine’s designs are considered “statement” pieces, she looks for a balance between refined and bold. She has participated in several international art jewelry exhibitions including Artistar Jewels, Milan Jewelry Week, Automaton 20.21 (joint venture with Spain & Canada), and Romanian Jewelry Week.
