Cristiane Lobo is an innovative and contemporary Brazilian designer whose unique jewellery pieces are inspired by a fusion of her passion for world art, design and her life experiences gained from travelling, living and working with diverse cultures from around the world. Cristiane’s style combines traditional materials and styles with bold contemporary themes often using semi-precious stones with recycled and ethically sourced materials.
Cristiane, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, graduated with a degree in Fine Arts in 1993. Her focus on jewellery design began whilst visiting Ouro Preto, a former colonial mining town in Brazil famous for its outstanding Baroque architecture and distinctive stones.  In a miscellanea of different textures and colours, the uniqueness of each stone inspired her to work with such special materials.
 Cristiane’s style evolved to include organic materials during her time living in Africa where she volunteered with a local community in Kenya.  The experience of learning about the rich Kenyan culture introduced her to their beautiful original jewellery, made with colourful beads, seeds, bones, and the underlying powerful significance the style and materials still hold for the tribal women.
 The works of the Campanas Brothers also possess a strong influence on her style and techniques.   “During a creative workshop about plastic recycling with the Campanas Brothers, before we began the process of transforming old bottles into a chair, they said that we should treat that material as gold. Today I try to bring to my work all sorts of materials, new or recycled, that can show a bit more of who I am and explore my experiences; sometimes the stones speak for themselves but often with other materials, such as wood and seeds,  I try to reuse them in a manner to show that they too are noble. Nothing is lost.”
 Part of her work for 2008 will be to help and empower local communities around the world by sourcing directly from the women who produce and prepare the seeds, stones and other materials.   “I want to help them directly through supporting their small businesses and bring their culture, local materials and handicraft traditions into my pieces.”
 In this hectic world, where most of things are pre fabricated, we should open our eyes and give more value to the nature and discover and appreciate its different forms around the world.