Although I have been making jewelry since 1965, it was the summer of 1978 that Scott Macklin and I set off to San Francisco to sell our jewelry at the Union Street Art Festival. How do I compress the past 40 years of my life and the growing of the Marty Magic business into a short blog?
1976 Early Marty Macklin Jewelry display
Unicorn and Pegasus Neckpiece. Vintage Marty Macklin 1976?
Early Fantasy Jewelry Display_ 1976 Marty Macklin
Carousel Pendant Vintage Marty Macklin
Curled Dragon Ring Garnet – Vintage Marty Macklin
I believe that I was dealt a great hand of cards at birth and that I was fortunate to live at the right time and place for my artistic and entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. As the only child of a geologist father and an artistic mother; art, science and travel were my everyday lessons. Born in California in the early 1950’s, the daughter of educated and moderately liberal parents, I was afforded many opportunities. As a girl, our family of three traveled extensively for my father’s research, teaching engagements and sabbaticals. I have lived in chalets in Austria; in an adobe cottage at the edge of the Salton Sea, California; on a farm outside of Edinburgh, Scotland; in a thatched cottage in Gilleleje, Denmark and in Bogotá, Columbia. My childhood had no geographical borders.
Marty, 1953 and her parents Betty and John Crowell
Marty’s adobe bungalow in Indio California, still standing in 2010
Marty’s Chalet in Innsbruck Austria – 1954
It was always presumed that I would go to a university and although I lobbied to go to an art school, I acquiesced and in 1973, graduated from the University of Redlands with a Bachelors of Arts degree.
1973 Marty graduates from University of Redlands
I majored in art with a focus on ceramics but in my sophomore year I took an introductory course in Jewelry, under the critical eye of Leon Moburg and my passions shifted to metal smithing. No other jewelry classes were offered but Moburg encouraged me to pursue independent jewelry study and the following year asked me to “teach” the beginning jewelry class. After graduating, I was accepted to Cal State Long Beach for the masters program in metal smithing and jewelry but withdrew a few months into classes when I met and married Scott Macklin. For the next several years, I explored lost wax casting independently and designed and cast jewelry in our garage.
Our first few years were a financial struggle and we worked a string of unfulfilling restaurant jobs. In the summer of 1978, aided by a $500 loan from my parents, Scott and I set off to the San Francisco Union Street Fair. We put what little we owned in storage and loaded our VW station wagon with a card table, a small glass display case and a handful of jewelry. The show was a great success and we sold most of what we had made. We continued doing shows in the Bay area throughout that summer and fall. Mid week we camped or couch surfed at friends and relatives. Scott polished and I designed jewelry whenever and wherever we could.
In the fall of 1979 Scott and I began the Harvest Festival show circuit and we found a welcoming market of customers and the camaraderie of like minded crafts persons. Influenced by Tabra, and with her blessings, I designed my first ear cuffs and ear wraps that were worlds apart from her Gypsy style. Business boomed in the early 1980’s. The costume designer for Star Trek at Paramount Studios contacted me and I sold him ear wraps for the cast to wear in various Star Trek episodes. The following year, Whoopie Goldberg purchased ear wraps from me and we sold story book charms to Joan Baez. Ann McCaffrey, who’s Dragon Rider books I had hungrily devoured, bought a dragon ear wrap of mine.
Early 1980 booth – Silicon Valley Art Show, Marty Macklin Fantasy Jewelry Display Booth
2003 Marty Magic Booth, Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival
In the mid 1980’s, our friend, Don Gavin sold my work at a number of renaissance fairs and I bought and built permanent booths in Maryland, Chicago and Georgia. My ear wrap and dragon designs were a hit at these festivals and I still retain my shop at the Maryland Renaissance Fair today. I have a wonderful manager and crew and I personally attend the fair one weekend each season. After 35 years at this show I have a strong following of collectors and have great fun attending the festival.
2017, Maryland Renaissance Festival – Marty, Zoe and Leah
2017, Maryland, Steve Parke and Marty
Scott’s and my vagabond life together was an adventure but also had it’s tolls on our marriage. We are close friends today, but there were many challenging years. Together we birthed a business and in 1984, Alisha was born, our best creation and biggest blessing.
In the late 1980’s Scott and I divorced and in 1990, I married, Art Bobroskie who was working an entry level job in the Silicon Valley. Art and I adjusted to being a family of three and we soon added a fourth when in 1992, John was born. As the Silicon Vally boomed, so did Arts options and he was soon working at Web T.V. Apple and subsequently at Microsoft. One evening in 1996, returning from work at Web T.V. Art announced to me that he had purchased me the domain name; www.martymagic.com. I had not heard of the internet but Art proceeded to build me a basic web site and I was soon communicating with customers via a Web T.V. keyboard. At that time, I had no concept about what a game changing move the internet would prove to be some 22 years later. Since 1996 there have been many versions of my web site and I imagine that I will continue to be surprised and challenged by unfolding technology.
In 1998, I made the “Prince” connection and my fledgling web site and e-mail facilitated doing business with Paisley Park. Prince and his band The Revolution all wore my ear wraps and my friend Steve Parkes, who was my connection to Prince, recently published his book “Picturing Prince.” In a few of the iconic photographs Prince wears my ear wraps and ear cuffs. For those of you who wish to know more about my business with Paisley Park, I have written a number of blog posts.
Newsweek – Prince wearing Marty’s Crescent Ear Wrap with CZ’s
Prince wearing Marty’s Iconic Moon Ear Wrap – photo by Steve Parke
With the birth of the internet, “Made in China” and buy and sell products invaded the handmade in the U.S.A. art show market. As I grew older, art shows became more physically demanding but slowly, sporadic internet sales helped to fill the revenue gap of doing fewer shows. In 2005 Etsy became an online marketplace for craftspersons. I was slow to get onboard the Etsy train but in 2013 when Alisha was ready and able to work with Marty Magic full time, she took on developing https://www.etsy.com/shop/martymagic Thanks to Alisha, Etsy has become a significant conduit of business. A few years ago, we joined the Amazon Handmade marketplace and our business is steadily growing. https://www.amazon.com/handmade/martymagic.
In 2008, thanks to the internet, we made connections with Tim Burton who purchased my complete Alice and Wonderland collection for his wife, Helena Bonham Carter. In 2011, the costume consultant for Barbara Streisand’s film,The Guilt Trip purchased several gold Tree Frog Pendants for her to wear in the film plus a slew of silver ones as gifts for the cast. Most recently, Sarcophagus films of the U.K. a division of Universal studios purchased numerous Python Ear Wraps for Sofia Boutella to wear in the remake of the 2017 Mummy film. Unfortunately instead of being a box office hit it was a flop, but nevertheless, my Python Ear Wrap looked stunning on beautiful Sofia Boutella.
I know that I’ve lived a magical life. I may make my living as a jeweler, but I am also a traveler, a writer, a photographer, a mother and a wife. My jewelry and sculpture is predominately inspired by nature and the close encounters I’ve had with unusual wildlife and indigenous cultures on my travels. I have been writing a travel blog for some years now and have self published several books, illustrated with my photographs.
2017, Komodo Island – Marty and Alisha
2017, Marty and village elder, Luba , Flores Indonesia
I am blessed to possess a cheerful and optimistic disposition and to be of good health. I am disciplined and possess a variety of skills that have helped me in running my business. In retrospect, I am grateful to have gone to the University of Redlands where I learned better writing skills and gained a broader education than I might have attained at an art school. I am a creator, not a consumer of media and I am never bored. I have a passion for all that I do. I love the creative process, from conception to completion and I enjoy interacting with my customers, many of whom have become close friends. My customers inspire ideas and validate my hard work with sales, the ultimate compliment.
2016, Collectors at Maryland Renaissance Festival
Happy collector, Kimberly and Mina, Mt. View 2015
2015, Judy and Marty, Mountain View
Judy wearing Marty Magic jewelry
Although I know that I won’t have another 40 years of great ride, I expect that Alisha and John will continue our established family business and have remarkable stories of their own to write.
2017, Marty, Coral Islands, Riung, Flores
