Kristine Bolhuis believes that jewelry is meant to interact with the body. A dedicated modernist, she creates lightweight metal constructions that move, flex and collapse, encouraging wearers to manipulate their parts and reveal their structure and geometric patterns. An early interest in the bent plywood chairs of Charles and Ray Eames, and a later discovery of the metalwork and wire jewelry of Harry Bertoia, led her to study at Cranbrook Academy of Art, the cradle of American modernism. Bolhuis also studied at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where she received a BFA in metals, and at the University of Michigan, where she received a BA in the history of art. Her jewels are minimalist pieces from which the skin has been removed, leaving only the essential structure and the sometimes surprising effects of gravity. Bolhuis works from her 1964 architect-designed modernist home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
