Meredith Marks is a renowned American jewelry designer who appeared in the American reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” (2020).
Wiki / Biography
Meredith Marks is originally from Chicago, USA.
Childhood photo of Meredith Marks with her father
She grew up in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago. She was educated at the Latin School of Chicago. As a young girl, she was intrigued by her great-grandmother’s jewelry collection, which she had accumulated from all over the world. Meredith was mesmerized by a dark-colored 40-karat aquamarine stone, which her great-grandmother had searched for for years, and ultimately mounted it on a cocktail ring surrounded by diamonds. The American gemological labs once displayed the magnificent ring in their window. She spent her childhood watching her mother prepare and try out various eye-catching pieces. The sparks of her passion for jewelry were brewed by her mother’s Marina B earrings, which had shifting stones at the bottom. Meredith’s fascination with Marina B earrings then inspired her to create multifunctional and versatile pieces in her own collections. From 1989 to 1993, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Loyola University in Chicago. After working as a model for some time, she obtained a law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (1993-1997) and an MBA from Kellogg Business School (1994-1997), both at Northwestern University, Illinois. She later took a jewelry design course at the Gemological Institute of America.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5 ′ 5 ″
Hair color: Dark brown
Eye colour: Lavender Gray
Family
Parents and siblings
Her father passed away in February 2021. In memory of her father, she donated a week of profits from sales of the Meredith Marks store to the Alzheimer’s Association of Chicago. She has a sister.
Childhood photo of Meredith Marks with her father and sister
Her mother’s name is Chrystina.
Meredith Marks with her mother
Husband and children
On August 24, 1996, she married Seth Marks. Subsequently, she moved to Park City, where her husband worked as an executive at Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com. When Seth later quit his job at Overstock.com, the couple retained part-time residences in Park City and Chicago. Together they have three children, a daughter named Chloe Marks and two sons, Reid Marks and Brooks Marks. Although Seth Marks filed for divorce from his wife in August 2019, he abandoned his petition in December 2019, around Meredith’s 48th birthday. Seth later became an entrepreneur and a life coach.
Meredith Marks with her family
Religion / religious views
Meredith Marks was born into a Jewish family and she follows Judaism. Speaking of her religious views in an interview, she said:
I am not a super-religious person. Judaism, for me, is family time. Now is the time to reflect on the difficult situation that the Jews went through. It is less about real religion. I will go to the temple from time to time, but not often at all… This is what is unique about Judaism. It is both a race and a religion, and I am very proud to be a Jew… ”
Career
After undergraduate studies in fine arts, she worked as a model. In her early twenties, she started her first business, a Pilates studio in Chicago, with her sister. Subsequently, she started her career as a real estate developer and also owned a health club. Even though she had a stable profession, she felt dissatisfied. In 2004, her discontent escalated when she was assaulted on a seemingly safe Chicago street. After the incident, she had the revelation that life was too short to pursue a career that you don’t like. Over the next five years, she married and became a mother of three, while trading stocks and discovering her passion. After completing her course at the Gemological Institute of America, she began making and selling jewelry at small trunk shows. She moved to Park City, Utah, where she met Sally Nadler, a fashion enthusiast, who helped her business grow by hosting a few shows in Park City and New York. As they continued to work together, they began to consider opening a Meredith Marks store in Park City. Their plans intrigued Nadler to return to the fashion business ending her hiatus, which she took to raise her children. Meredith launched her eponymous jewelry line, Meredith Marks, in the midst of the 2009 recession. She hired artisans in the United States, Hong Kong and India to make her sketches. The brand’s store, located on Main Street in Park City, was run by Nadler, while Marks, who returned to Chicago, designed the products and visited the store on a monthly basis.
Meredith Marks and Sally Nadler in the Meredith Marks store
Besides Marks jewelry, the store also featured handbags and clothing from other designers. Later, Meredith launched an online store for the label. Meredith is known for her versatile and multifunctional jewelry designs, for example an earring that can be used as a pendant. In an interview, she revealed that she draws her design inspiration from her surroundings. She said,
My designs are inspired by all aspects of life. I love to travel and many pieces are created from foreign designs that I have seen on my travels or stones that I have found on those trips.
She is known for her characteristic style in which she combines geometry, negative space and interchangeable pieces in her jewelry designs. The shaped pattern seen in each piece of her Sistine Collection was inspired by a design she saw on the floor of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
Sistine Collection by Meredith Marks
She created the Spike collection after drawing inspiration from a piece of foliage on a hiking trail in Park City.
Meredith Marks Point Collection
The Stardust collection was inspired by the stars at night in the Park City sky.
The Stardust Collection by Meredith Marks
Meredith Marks jewelry has been worn by various celebrities like Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Courteney Cox. In 2020, she appeared in the American reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”. The series follows the life of a group of affluent housewives residing in Salt Lake City.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (2020)
Prizes, distinctions, achievements
- JCK Editors’ Choice Award (2016)
- Finalist Rising Star FGI (2016)
- JCK Best of the Best JCK Jewelers Choice Award (2017)
- Finalist Rising Star FGI (2017)
- Tribute to the style honored by the Madison Boys and Girls Club (2018)
Favorites
- Restaurant: Handle, Firewood, Goldener Hirsch
- Spa: St. Regis Valley of the Deer
Facts / Anecdotes
- Besides her beauty, Meredith is also interested in the healing properties of stones.
- Although Meredith is mostly seen showing off her own brand of jewelry, Italian luxury brand Bulgari is an exception. Bulgari’s jewelry collection included Marina B, which was Meredith’s original inspiration.
