Profile: Jennifer Tyler-Marks

Jennifer Tyler-Marks: Jewelry Maker, Business Owner, Mom

By Jade Miller
QuailBellMagazine.com

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Photograph by Amy Yang, from Two Girls Photography Shoppe

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Entering Jennifer Tyler-Marks home, you know a jewelry maker lives there. A table situated in front of the couch glitters with beads and metal and a half-assembled display shows off recently completed earrings. There’s a notebook with a list of craft shows to apply to and the laptop screen to her right glows with an application to a festival. Only one things seems out of place  - the resting newborn on the Boppy pillow to the left, seemingly entranced by the large painting hanging on the wall. Tyler-Marks makes balancing a business and a baby look easy.

Born in Mesa, Arizona, Tyler-Marks was the first of three daughters to her parents. With her father in the Air Force, the family moved around a lot, living in Utah, Louisiana, Alaska and Virginia. Tyler-Marks recalls seeing simply made pieces featuring semi-precious gemstones around her mother’s neck, made for her by her grandfather. This was the spark of inspiration and why Tyler-Marks works with the materials she does now.

Using semi-precious gemstones like tigereye, quartz and garnet, along with wood, coral, freshwater pearls and Czech glass, Tyler-Marks creates jewelry stunning in its simplicity. Each piece lets the stones shine in their own merit and the necklace, earrings or bracelet is merely the platform. Tyler-Marks takes great care selecting all the beads and stones she works with, choosing to use “unusual gemstone finds, ones that you can get lost in when you look at them. I have some blue tiger eye right now that's really subtle and beautiful. The color changes depending on the angle, it's like watching the northern lights.” With such attention and thought being put into every step of the process, it’s easy to see why this jewelry stands out.

If gemstones aren’t your cup of tea, Tyler-Marks has also begun a line repurposing vintage pieces into new jewelry. Still employing pearls and the like into these pieces, the gems are no longer the whole focus, giving a more feminine and edgy feel. To add to their appeal, a lot of these pieces are one of a kind, each necklace, bracelet or earring set it’s own unique entity. 

Usually you can find Tyler-Marks’ jewelry online at her etsy shop, RedLintu. However, right now craft show season is in full swing and it will be much easier to snag your own RedLintu piece in person! Check out Tyler-Marks [and meet her baby!] at these shows in the Richmond, Virginia metro area:

Southampton Baptist Church Spring Bazaar & Community Yard Sale
Saturday, April 14, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Earth Day Festival at Old Manchester at the Mayo Bridge
Saturday, April 21, 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Fort Clifton Music, Arts and Craft Festival at Fort Clifton Park in Colonial Heights
Saturday, May 12, 10:00 am