Ferris Robinson
Lots of gals love jewelry. Who doesn’t covet interesting gold rings with gorgeous stones and details and necklaces and earrings of all shapes and sizes?
But how many of us can actually come up with an idea of a fabulous piece of jewelry and then set about creating it?
Marian Jones King can, and she has recently come out with a new line of jewelry designs. She has been doing this for a good while, since elementary school in fact. As a little girl, Marian made beads out of clay and strung them together in patterns and offered them for sale. She set up shop on Lula Lake Road at the top of Princess Trail where her family lived. And from that age on, she knew what she wanted to do.
Her aunt, Lolly Allison Jones, took Marian and her own three daughters to jewelry classes and also made regular stops at bead stores where the girls chose their supplies.
“My family has always been supportive of my dreams,” Marian said of father Robby Jones and mother Mary Elizabeth Corey and siblings Catherine Jones Schwartz and Cannon Jones. Those dreams included studying metalsmithing and jewelry at University of Colorado. She has worked for other jewelers and co-owned another jewelry line, learning and honing her craft along the way.
In 2022, Marian launched Marian J King Designs, her own jewelry line of stylish and personal pieces that are meant to be worn. Very reasonably priced, Marion uses the finest materials in her creations, including sterling silver, 14K gold fill and 14K gold to make pieces that will last a lifetime.
Personally, I’m obsessed with her stacking rings. Called the Maggie ring, these textured pieces are reminiscent of the bark of a tree, which adds a touch of nature to the ring, making it feel both organic and modern. Priced at $26 for sterling and $32 for gold fill, these round out any collection of rings. A similar stacking ring is called the Meg and is hammered to a finish that reflects light and creates a bit of sparkle. It’s priced a few dollars more than the Maggie. These rings are just the a few of her creations. There are rings with semi-precious stones, hammered bangle bracelets and stone cuffs, and a wide array of earrings, from stone studs to hoops to dangling earrings. And again, they are priced remarkably well. Thirty-six dollars for beaded silver hoop earrings? Really?
Marian love what she does. Like most artists, she really doesn’t have a choice.
“I have a deep desire to create. Whether it be jewelry, ceramics or painting. I have recently started making contemporary mixed media art that combines my love for all three mediums. It's been really fun and challenging, specifically figuring out how to frame pieces and how or where to sell them,” she says.
You might say Marian got her start on Lookout Mountain, selling her pieces in a self-made jewelry stand on Lula Lake Road. That has stayed with her, inspiring her work. She names her pieces for people who are important to her. Who have impacted her and stayed in her heart. The Maggie is named after Maggie McGinness Estes, the Lizzie is for her cousin, Lizzie Jones Brown, and the Ginny is named for Ginny Moss, her friend Tish’s mother. The Minnie, named for her mother, is in the works, as well as many other special pieces.
“There is no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes I make a piece and it reminds me of a moment in time with another person. Or I will make something and be like “Oh, Mom would love this!”
"Lookout is a special place, and I can’t imagine growing up anywhere else,” Marian says.
About her lifelong career, she feels she is coming into her own.
“With each job, I have learned so much regarding what works and what doesn’t. I feel confident in my abilities and my brand, and I feel really proud of myself. Maybe that just comes with age and not really caring what others think I should be doing. Either way, it is a nice feeling.”
And a stellar new line.
Follow her on Instagram at Marian J. King Designs.
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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. Her website is ferrisrobinson.com and you can download a free pollinator poster there. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.