Meet Tiffany Ericka Marshall of Wood Jewelry by Tiffany

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Ericka Marshall.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tiffany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a Los Angeles native. Born and raised in West LA. Growing up, I started hoarding my mom’s old jewelry at a young age. I was often caught coming in from school wearing her necklaces or bracelets. The women in my family started giving me their old pieces to collect. Eventually, I started making pieces for myself. I was always getting compliments. My friends would always say, “Make me something!!!” This lead into my first small business. I made mix-match earrings sets, beaded necklaces and cut up t-shirts. I ended up investing more in materials than making a profit…..but it was such a joy to see my friends wearing my creations. That’s where my love for making unique pieces started.

Once I started traveling, I fell in love with collecting earrings as souvenirs for myself. Sounds odd but that was my thing. In Europe, I was so surprised to find the most beautiful African pieces, handmade with colorful beads. While in Brazil, I admired their exotic beaded jewelry.

In 2008, I gave birth to my daughter. I didn’t have time to pursue jewelry for a very long time. I always made beaded bracelets for myself and continued hoarding jewelry pieces but most of my time was devoted to being a mother. One day a friend gave me a pair of wooden earrings. I admired them so much I was heartbroken when I lost one. I kept the other with hopes I would find the missing earring. After a while, I thought it would be cool to make a pair of wood earrings for myself. The idea wasn’t too far-fetched. I’ve always loved the DIY (do -it yourself) life. I thought it would be pretty dope to try. I knew if I had access to all the materials, I could do it. I was so persistent in perfecting these earrings despite how difficult it was. I’ve never had experience cutting wood, so it took me some time before I made a good pair and I felt this was a product I could sell. I would spread the jewelry I made over my bed with such joy. Absolutely in love with every piece. I was so excited and branding my name along with my business felt so natural.

I absolutely love what I do. We all love jewelry regardless of size, cost or where it’s from. I feel every woman has some type of emotional attachment to a piece of jewelry and that’s how this whole journey started for me.

Has it been a smooth road?
I found myself to be my only obstacle. Handcrafting wood into jewelry has been such a creative outlet for me, yet I haven’t always felt confident about selling my work. My first few pop ups I almost sold out but I didn’t profit much. I was selling my jewelry so low in price I was practically giving it away. I absolutely love my work. I just wasn’t sure everyone else would at first. It felt good to know my product was selling however my confidence was my only obstacle. I put a lot of energy and hard work into perfecting my craft. My collection is still priced really reasonable for handmade jewelry. As a small business owner or whatever you do, you must definitely know your worth so you never sell yourself short.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Wood Jewelry by Tiffany is a hippie, chic wood jewelry line and an Afro-bohemian brass and beaded jewelry collection. The collection is well known for light-weight statement earrings, handcrafted unique wood jewelry painted in an array of colors and boho style large wooden bangles. Exclusive mix-match earrings and polished brass jewelry embellished with beautiful combinations of precious beads.

I am proud of all my designs and hard work. I made the decision to start this business April 2nd, 2018. I’m a one-person team and I put a lot of time and energy in building this brand. From designing, all the labor, marketing and building my website. I still have a long “to do list”. I’m also proud of how often customers tell me about the compliments they get when wearing my jewelry. I absolutely love my customers. All of the love and feedback has been so positive and just motivates me to do more.

I make pieces I absolutely love. All of my designs are unique and exclusive. I don’t compare my work to others. The jewelry business is big. Instagram is full of handmade jewelry. My collection is an expression of myself, what I love to do and that sets me apart from others.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is such an awesome city to do business in. Everyone loves to shop. People are always looking for unique items. Pop up shops are everywhere right now and we have awesome festivals. But regardless of what city you’re in, believe in yourself, your brand and it will sell itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.woodjewelrybytiffany.com
• Phone: 3109360084
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Photo Credit: Alex Salvador

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