Meredith Marks Wiki, Height, Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Meredith Marks is a renowned American jewelry designer who appeared in the American reality television series ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ (2020).

Wiki/Biography

Meredith Marks was born on Friday, December 15, 1972, (age 49 years, as of 2021), and she hails from Chicago, US.

Childhood picture of Meredith Marks with her father

She grew up in the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago. She did her schooling at the Latin School of Chicago. As a young girl, she was intrigued by her great-grandmother’s collection of jewelry, which she had accumulated from all over the world. Meredith was mesmerized by a deep-colored 40-carat aquamarine gemstone, which her great grandmother spent years searching for, and finally set it in a cocktail ring surrounded by diamonds. The American Gemological Laboratories once displayed the gorgeous ring in their window. She spent her childhood watching her mother getting ready and trying on various eye-catching pieces of jewelry. The sparks of her passion for jewelry were brewed by her mother’s Marina B earrings, which had changeable gemstones at the bottom. Meredith’s fascination for the Marina B earrings later inspired her to create multi-functional and versatile pieces in her own collections. From 1989 to 1993, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts at Loyola University Chicago. After working as a model for a while, she earned a degree in law from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (1993-1997), and an MM in Business from the Kellogg Business School (1994-1997), both in Illinois. Later, she pursued a course in jewelry designing at the Gemological Institute of America. ^[1]Meredith Marks

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 5″

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Lavender Gray

Family

Parents & Siblings

Her father died in February 2021. In the memory of her father, she donated a week’s profits earned from the sales of Meredith Marks store to the Alzheimer’s Association of Chicago. She has a sister.

Childhood picture of Meredith Marks with her father and sister

Her mother’s name is Chrystina.

Meredith Marks with her mother

Husband & Children

On August 24, 1996, she got married to Seth Marks. Thereafter, she moved to Park City, where her husband worked as an executive at Overstock.com, which is based in Salt Lake City. Later, when Seth quit his job at Overstock.com, the couple kept part-time residences in both 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 dropped his petition in December 2019, around the time of Meredith’s 48th birthday. Later, Seth became an entrepreneur & life coach.

Meredith Marks with her family

Religion/Religious Views

Meredith Marks was born into a Jewish family, and she follows Judaism. ^[2]bravo While talking about her religious views in an interview, she said,

I’m not a super-religious person. Judaism, to me, is a time for family. It’s a time to reflect back on the plight that the Jews have been through. It’s less about the actual religion. I will go to temple from time to time, but not often at all…That’s what is unique about Judaism. It is both a race and a religion, and I’m very proud to be Jewish…”

Career

After studying fine arts as an undergraduate, she worked as a model. In her early 20s, she established her first business, a pilates studio in Chicago, with her sister. Thereafter, she began her career as a real estate developer and also owned a health club. Although she had a stable profession, she felt unfulfilled. In 2004, her discontent escalated when she was mugged on a seemingly safe street in Chicago. Following the incident, she experienced an epiphany that life was too short for pursuing a career one dislikes. In the following five years, she got married and became the mother of three, meanwhile trading stocks and figuring out her passion. After completing her course at Gemological Institute of America, she started 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 couple of trunk shows in Park City and New York City. As they continued to work together, they began contemplating opening a Meredith Marks store in Park City. Their plans intrigued Nadler to get back into the fashion business ending her break, which she took to raise her kids. Meredith launched her eponymous jewelry line amid the 2009 recession. She hired artisans in the US, Hong Kong, and India to fabricate her sketches. The label’s store, situated on Main Street in Park City, was run by Nadler, meanwhile Marks, who moved back to Chicago, designed the products and visited the store monthly.

Meredith Marks and Sally Nadler in Meredith Marks store

Apart from Marks’ jewelry, the store also featured handbags and clothing from other designers. Later, Meredith started an online store for the label. The Chicago-based designer is known for her versatile and multi-functional jewelry designs, for example, an earring that may double as a pendant. In an interview, she revealed that she drew her design inspirations from her surroundings. She said,

My designs are inspired from all aspects of life. I love to travel, and many pieces are created from foreign motifs I have seen in my travels, or stones that I have found on those trips.”

She is known for her signature style in which she combines geometry, negative space, and interchangeable parts in her jewelry designs. In 2017, Meredith Marks’ designer ring “Tabitha Cuff”  won 1st prize in the ‘JCK Jewelers Choice Awards Best of the Best’ in the category of  Sterling Silver Jewelry over $1,000.

Tabitha Cuff by Meredith Marks

The shaped motif seen in each piece of her Sistine Collection was inspired by a pattern she saw on the floor at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

Meredith Marks’ Sistine Collection

She created the Spike Collection after being inspired by a piece of foliage on a hiking trail in Park City.

Meredith Marks’ Spike Collection

The Stardust Collection was inspired by the stars at night in the Park City sky.

Meredith Marks’ Stardust collection

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (2020)

Awards, Honours, Achievements

• JCK Editors Choice Award (2016)

• The Fashion Group International Rising Star Award (2016)

• JCK Best of the Best JCK Jewelers Choice Award (2017)

• Fine Jewelry Award at The Fashion Group International Rising Star Awards (2017)

• Salute To Style honoree by The Madison Boys and Girls Club (2018)

Favorites

• Restaurant(s): Handle (Park City, Utah), Firewood (Park City, Utah), Goldener Hirsch (Park City, Utah)

• Spa: The St. Regis Deer Valley

• Color: Pink

Facts/Trivia

• Apart from its beauty, Meredith is also interested in the healing properties of gemstones.

• Although Meredith is mostly seen flaunting her own jewelry label, the Italian luxury brand Bulgari is an exception to it. Bulgari’s jewelry collection included Marina B earrings, which were Meredith’s original inspiration to venture into the jewelry business. One of her captions on a Facebook post read,
  

  It is not often that I wear jewelry that is not one of my own designs. I made an exception for one of my favorite inspirations, @MarinaBJewelry. This necklace belonged to my mother who had many @marinabjewelry pieces.”

• While working in real estate development, she was mugged on a street in Chicago while she was talking to a general contractor. Apparently, the contractor told Meredith that one of his workers would not show up at work because he was in jail for beating up his girlfriend. During the conversation, she was suddenly slammed on the ground and robbed. While describing the event, in an interview, she said,
  

  I decided I didn’t want to do business with men who beat women. I sold everything and got out of those businesses.”

  Thereafter, she quit her profession in real estate development.

• In an interview, while describing her favorite thing about living in Park City she revealed that she loved skiing. She said,
  

  Park City is a magical place. I love the beauty of the mountains and all of the outdoor activities they provide. I love to ski—typically at Deer Valley.”

  

  Meredith Marks skiing in Park City