We recently connected with Mark Lloyd and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida the son of a very talented Mother, who at the time was an art teacher. At an early age of 8, she started teaching me “lost wax jewelry making” and that was the beginning of my life’s passion. I was very fortunate to have learned from one of the best. My mother was an amazing artist and jewelry designer. Once hooked, I never looked back. I even worked as a jeweler while attending “University of Florida” so the only obstacle was school but, that was necessary.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In 1989, I opened Vanmark, Jewelry Designers in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale’s Marine district and began designing and creating beautiful works of art. My passion for the ocean led me to create what is known today as The Marine Collection, a unique and vibrant array of jewelry reflecting my love of sport fishing and all the oceans amazing creatures.

Aside from viewing the collections at my showroom, Vanmark designs can be seen at some of the world’s top fishing tournaments like Bermuda Big Game Classic, Bermuda Triple Crown, Los Cabos, Los Suenos Triple Crown, OffShore World Championship, Custom Shootout as well as numerous high-end jewelry stores around the United States and internationally.

I mainly manufacture a large marine/nautical line of jewelry designs that I sell to other retail jewelers on the east and west coasts of the United States, Bermuda and the Caribbean but, I also have a showroom/retail location on 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale. You can also find me on line at “www.vanmarkjewelry.com”. The majority of my clients came to me by word of mouth and has now blossomed to the point that clients arrive at my door from all over the world.

Everything is made and worked on “in store”. Customers have a “one on one” experience with the owner/designer. I work very hard to provide exceptional customer service and I take great pride in my work. Everything I make is made on premise and in the great US of A.  Also, I have 5 star ratings across the board with Yelp, Google, etc.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It has not always been easy going. I opened up during a small recession in 1989 and then I went through the economic crisis of 2008 however, gratefully I made it through these two challenging times and remain in business.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, it’s being able to use my god given talent to make my living through what I love to do. I am also very thankful to those that support my creations and help me be able to continue moving forward in my business. There’s nothing like being able to do what you love to do!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vanmarkjewelry.com
• Instagram: vanmarkjewelry
• Facebook: Vanmark Jewelry
• Linkedin: Vanmark Jewelry Designers
• Yelp: Vanmark Jewelry Designers

Image Credits
Mark Lloyd