Meet your Designer, Christine
Christine has been with Green Lake for over seven years helping guide clients through the ins-and-outs of our custom design process. Christine’s natural rapport with clients makes the experience fun and approachable for anyone new to the world of jewelry.
With a passion for collaborative theater, singing, and the art of storytelling, she understands how a custom jewelry design is a perfect match for those passionate about the arts and those with a story to tell. A unique design can not only encapsulate your own personal journey, the entire design process can marry a couple’s creativity in an exciting new way.
Let’s experience Christine’s artistry in both the auditory and visual realms as we chat with Christine!
Vocal Artistry
I came to the Pacific Northwest by way of the metro-Denver area to study at Cornish College of the Arts, where I studied Classical Voice under Dr. Natalie Lerch. The unique program at Cornish allowed me to focus on my passion for musical theater while learning classical technique, and immersed me into a community of both student and professional artists. I had the chance to see so many people making deeply personal art of all kinds, and to collaborate on exciting new projects. Storytelling and forging a connection with an audience is deeply important to me, and every production gives me a new challenge and character to explore and bring to life.
A theater nerd since my first production of Bye Bye Birdie in high school, I’ve since performed at theaters around the Seattle and Tacoma area in various musicals and plays. In recent years I’ve been a teaching artist with Viva Vocalists, a program where adults old and young learn and perform modern works of opera and musical theater in a fun, supportive environment from teachers passionate about the crafts of singing and acting.
Top Right: Christine in the role of the Dowager Empress in a musical adaptation of Anastasia
Bottom: Christine [in blue] as Hope Cladwell in the musical Urinetown
Christine’s Favorite Musical Roles
| The Baker’s Wife | Into the Woods |
| Rona & Barfee | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee |
| Don Pedro | Much Ado About Nothing [all female production] |
| Marmee | Little Women |
| Diana | Next to Normal |
The Esoterics
For the last decade, I’ve been a member of The Esoterics, a Seattle-based vocal ensemble that is dedicated to performing and perpetuating contemporary acappella choral settings of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings from around the world. This group has challenged and pushed me as an artist, both in terms of my overall skill, and the tone and topics of music and poetry. We sing in just about every language you can imagine, including Estonian, Greek, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish, Chinese, and ancient Peruvian!
A magnificent and moving setting of Dierdre Lockwood’s poem “Discovery,” by Christina Whitten Thomas. Discovery is about finding renewal and strength amidst the beauty of the natural world. Deirdre wrote the poem while walking through Discovery Park in Seattle, which borders Puget Sound, but the words speak to anyone who has sought answers to life’s questions while out in nature. Commissioned and premiered by The Esoterics in 2011.
From composer Eric Banks: With each time I read the very short fifth poem, The lagoons unruffled, I became increasingly convinced that Melville was trying to describe the nautical version of a ‘mirage’ in the desert. In this hallucination, the serene lagoons are the harbinger of nearby land, of a halcyon shore – but they are haunted by the wreckage of those who hoped, perhaps prematurely. In the end, the voyager’s optimism is spent. He is exhausted from his endless journey, and even though he knows he is dreaming, his desire for land steers him into a dangerous path: an oncoming storm. (Be sure to listen to Christine’s solo at 3:05!)
Artistic Collaboration
Choral singing and theater have taught me so much about the collaborative process of art-making. You have to work alongside other artists to hone the overall vision of the show, or blend your voices together to create a singular beautiful sound, following every wave of the conductor’s arm. Your unique perspective and talents are important, but ultimately, you are working together toward the director’s artistic vision.
Where in the world is Christine? She’s in the very top left, as this video starts!
All of this feels so familiar when I sit down with my clients in the studio, or read their posts on the design page. My job is to listen to their story, to hear what design elements are meaningful or exciting to them, and find a way to bring them together. My own creativity is often expressed in the process of finalizing the design, but I’m a part of a larger team, working together to bring their vision to life.
Jewelry Design
With the multitude of options custom design affords, it can often be an overwhelming experience to see all the design options available when you start creating a new piece of jewelry! Christine loves meeting with clients to discover what they are hoping to create in their jewelry design and then guiding the process so it’s easy to make decisions each step of the way. Education is a key part of this process, and Christine is ready to teach you about style elements, gemstones, and metal types so you feel confident as you narrow down your design options. It’s not every day you design an engagement ring, and Christine loves making all novices feel at home in the world of jewelry! With Christine’s support during the design process, each informed decision you make will help your one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry take shape. Meet in-person with Christine at our Seattle studio, or work together entirely online!
Stunning Sapphire Rings
Custom Solitaire Settings
Artistic Art Nouveau
Special Wedding Sets
Unique Halos
Halo Concept Sketches
Personalized Pendants
Inspired By The Great Outdoors
Floral Inspired Rings
Geometric Art Deco
Custom Engraving
Collaborate with Christine on your next artistic jewelry endeavor! This client wanted to modify a ring from our studio to feature a feather in lieu of filigree and wondered if it was possible…. Christine was able to bring that unique idea to life at our studio!
Design No. 156963
“Working with Christine at Green Lake was a dream! She was supportive and positive the whole time. Even when my initial idea was crazy and impossible, she worked with me to find a way to make the closest possible design to what I had imagined that ended up way better than I ever could have imagined! The quality of the ring is stunning, the work is just superb! I’ve been wanting to have a custom piece made from them for years and I’m so glad I finally have!”
“We had a wonderful experience working with Christine to create our engagement and wedding sets. We wanted to incoporate some family pieces as well as create some new unique rings. She was so helpful, responsive and honestly so excited for us! As a queer couple we felt totally respected and welcomed into Green Lake. Thanks so much!”
“We had a phenomenal experience at Green Lake Jewelry Works, and it was largely due to Christine, the designer we worked with. If you want an engagement ring and the best customer service imaginable, find Christine IMMEDIATELY!
We stopped by on a whim after having mediocre experiences at other jewelers. Christine greeted us cheerfully and spent the next hour and a half enthusiastically showing us design ideas and stones. We never felt pressured at all, and instead felt like we were in the company of someone who was just so excited to share. Christine made the whole experience so incredibly fun, and the ring is more perfect than we could have imagined. Green Lake Jewelry Works (but especially Christine) gets 10 stars from us!“
Just Desserts
If there’s any way to wrap up our chat with Christine, it’s with dessert! Christine loves to create stunning desserts for all sorts of occasions. If you’re lucky, she might even tell you her secrets for the perfect macaron…
“I have a great passion for creativity in the kitchen, particularly when it comes to baking! There is something so incredibly satisfying about putting the time and effort into making something that not only looks beautiful, but tastes delicious. I love all kinds of baking, from bread to cakes to pies, but a couple of years ago I decided to try and master the French macaron. Baking such a finicky and delicate pâtisserie takes practice and patience, but brings me endless joy when they come out perfectly. Sharing my baking with the people I love is one of my favorite things in life.” -Christine
