Headquartered in beautiful rural Wisconsin, The Rhyn-Rivét Collection exemplifies elegance, creativity, and lasting beauty in every handcrafted porcelain ornament.

During her childhood, while residing with her family in Japan, Catherine Rhyner, the founder of The Rhyn-Rivét Collection, was introduced to ceramics by a local artisan and became fascinated with the aesthetic process. As an adult, Catherine expanded this artistic fascination to new levels. She explored many processes and techniques before discovering her chosen medium. Rhyn-Rivét now designs and creates ornaments of fine bisque porcelain, fastidiously decorated with china paints, dimensional glazes and inlaid metals to create an impressionistic design in relief. A fine dusting of diamond glitter accentuates each exquisite piece.

Impassioned by her consuming artistic interest, Catherine created The Rhyn-Rivét Collection in 1994 and for 5 years designed and handcrafted each ornament herself. As demand for these unique heirloom quality ornaments grew the need for an assistant became evident. Finding an artisan who could meet the demanding quality standards of Rhyn-Rivét and would compliment Catherine’s artistic style was difficult. The search was successfully completed in 1997 when Lisa Murphy-Pelletier joined the Rhyn-Rivét staff.

With Catherine and Lisa’s combined talents the collection reached new excellence. Lisa relieved Catherine of much of the production process of casting and getting each ornament ready for painting. Demand for ornaments continued to increase and in spring of 1999 artisan Marilea Groves joined the Rhyn-Rivét team in the capacity of artist and designer. Marilea added a new level of sophistication to design and concepts. It soon became apparent that production levels from the Wisconsin studio would fall well below customer demand and new manufacturing options were explored.

Production moved overseas in 2000 with the introduction of the Heirloom Line. Rhyn-Rivét was fortunate to begin working with the Thailand manufacturer which produces the Disney Classic figurines. Production of Rhyn-Rivét ornaments in Thailand continues today.

The Rhyn-Rivét Collection creations are inspired by the seasons, crafted by hand, meeting the highest quality control standards, and come enclosed in an elegant gift box. Each heirloom designed ornament is a tribute to the talents of the Rhyn-Rivét artists and ultimately to Catherine’s enduring childhood fascination with the craftsmanship and beauty of art.

Rhyn-Rivét has designed and produced porcelain ornaments for Walt Disney World, The Lenox Collection, Lenox Classics, Disneyland, Princess House, The Franklin Mint-Retail Division, and Neiman Marcus.

Ornaments from The Rhyn-Rivét Collection have been featured in publications such as Home Magazine, McCalls, The Joy of Collecting, Collectors Mart Magazine, Figurines and Collectibles, Collector Editions, Gift & Decorative Accessories, Giftware News, Giftware Business, and numerous ornament collector newsletters and ornament magazines.
 
How the Ornaments are Made
All Rhyn-Rivét heirloom quality ornaments are handcrafted from the finest porcelain. We begin with extensive drawings of various shapes and decorative designs. Once a preliminary design is chosen, the shape is carved out of wax. This original prototype must be perfect since it is used to create the master mold from which all ornament bodies are cast.

Casting begins as a fine stream of liquid porcelain clay is poured into the plaster mold. The clay piece, after being removed from the mold, is dried for up to a week. Ornaments then undergo a soft firing at 1200 degrees before being soaked in water, cleaned and polished to remove any imperfections. Once the clay piece is perfectly smooth, it is ready for high firing. If color bands are part of the design, they are applied before this firing process.

Porcelain is extremely delicate and must be handled with care and fired with great sensitivity. Firing temperatures exceed 2,300 degrees, turning the clay into bisque. Because bisque is very rough, each piece is sanded, creating a smooth, glass like finish. The ornament shape is then ready for decorating.

The decorating of an individual ornament is a slow meticulous process making each a unique work of art. Designs are applied free hand with china paints, dimensional glazes, inlaid metals and other materials creating a design in bas-relief, the hallmark of The Rhyn-Rivét Collection. Finally, diamond dust glitters are added to accentuate the exquisite, elegant designs.

Throughout this creative process, each piece is constantly examined and evaluated and if necessary modifications and corrections made, guaranteeing the quality of each piece. Each ornament comes with a specially designed gift box and a certificate of authenticity.