Marlyn Schiff: Designing Jewelry You’ll Never Want to Take Off

By: Natasha Magrefte

An Organic Beginning

Marlyn Schiff began her career in New York City, working in fashion after graduating college. She started in Macy’s executive training program before moving into wholesale, working with designers like Alfred Sung and Elie Tahari. But her brand didn’t start as a formal business plan—it evolved naturally. She began designing jewelry on her own, hand-making pieces at her kitchen table in her New York apartment. As she wore them to work, buyers started noticing, eventually leading her to sell pieces directly off her own neck.

From there, things grew steadily. Within months, her designs began gaining recognition through magazines, catalogs, and television. At the time, platforms like MTV played a major role in shaping trends, and her pieces were featured across the network, including on Cindy Crawford’s House of Style, as well as shows like Sex and the City. Pretty iconic if you ask me.

What started as something personal quickly began to expand on a much larger scale. “It was very slow, but sure,” she explains. “One rep turned into six reps, and one thing led to another.” Over time, what started as a side project became a full-scale business, expanding through trade shows, wholesale partnerships, and a growing national presence.

Designing for Real Life

Today, Schiff describes her brand as centered around accessibility, versatility, and style. While her early designs focused more on higher-end materials, the brand has evolved to meet a broader audience without losing its identity. Her collections now span generations, something she’s built intentionally. Rather than designing for a single type of person, she creates pieces that can work across different lifestyles and aesthetics, allowing women to make them their own.

At the same time, she hasn’t lost touch with the design elements that first defined her work. She continues to incorporate both modern metal pieces and more organic, boho-inspired elements like beadwork and suede into her collections, often blending the two within a single season. The result is a brand that feels flexible, wearable, and personal, rather than tied to one specific look.

That balance carries into the way she approaches trends, with intention rather than imitation. Instead of simply recreating what’s popular, Schiff focuses on interpreting trends in a way that feels wearable and lasting. She makes them her own. Part of that process often involves refining bold ideas into something more approachable and reworking details so they feel realistic for everyday wear. It’s a subtle distinction, but one that allows her pieces to feel current without being overwhelming—distinct, but still easy to incorporate into everyday style. It's the kind of balance that’s harder to achieve than it may seem.

Building a Brand That Lasts

After more than 35 years in the industry, Schiff has experienced the realities of building a long-term business—from economic shifts to evolving consumer behavior, and more recently, challenges like tariffs and global uncertainty. Still, her focus hasn’t changed. “The pressure is always, ‘did I design really well this season?’” she says. “That excitement of presenting a new collection and seeing how it’s received—it’s what keeps me going.”

Beyond the product itself, she credits longevity to something deeper: relationships. Staying connected, being accessible, and maintaining a strong sense of integrity have all played a role in the brand’s growth. That mindset also extends beyond business. Giving back has become a meaningful part of the brand, with ongoing support for causes that are personally important to her. It’s a reflection of a broader belief that a business can, and should, create impact beyond its products.

Adapting to a New Era

As the industry continues to evolve, Schiff has also adapted the way she approaches growth. Where visibility once came through traditional media and celebrity placement, today it’s shaped by social media, influencer partnerships, and collaborations. Rather than viewing these as purely promotional, Schiff sees them as a way to build real connections, working with people and brands that align with her audience and creating partnerships that feel mutual.

“We’re allowing influencers to create collections with us,” she explains. “It’s about partnering with people, not just making it one-sided.” At the same time, the brand continues to evolve behind the scenes, with a new website and refreshed visual direction currently in the works. “It’s fun to rebrand,” she says. “Always trying to reinvent—not just staying static.”

Inspiration, for Schiff, comes from everywhere, but especially from travel and vintage design. She’s constantly collecting ideas, often pulling from older pieces and reworking them into something new. That ability to draw from the past while designing for the present is part of what gives her collections their lasting appeal. They don’t feel tied to a single moment, but instead evolve alongside the person wearing them.

The Takeaway

When asked what advice she would give to someone starting a brand today, Schiff emphasized that success requires more than just creativity. “You have to feel so passionate about what you’re doing,” she says. “But it’s not just design. You have to be able to sell it, present it, and understand the business side.” From logistics to customer relationships, every part of the business matters. “You have to be able to pivot quickly,” she adds. “Every day there’s something new… you have to find solutions and keep moving.”

If there’s one thing Schiff’s journey makes clear, it’s that building something meaningful takes time. It’s not about chasing every trend or rushing the process. Instead, it’s about staying consistent, evolving when needed, and continuing to create with intention. And after decades in the industry, that balance is exactly what she’s mastered, and what continues to set her apart.

Shop Marlyn Schiff online or in stores like Nordstrom!