ABOUT MARINA TYLER
One of my earliest memories is of a tiny brooch belonging to a friend — red glass set in worn metal. It wasn't fine jewelry, but to me, it felt like treasure. That specific weight — the sense of holding something permanent and meaningful — defined my path long before I ever learned to shape metal myself.
I was born in Kazakhstan, raised between two opposing forces: the structural precision of a geologist mother and the fluid creativity of an artist father. My childhood was defined by this intersection — textbooks on mineral structures sitting alongside pencil sketchbooks. This dual upbringing taught me that beauty requires both. Structure alone feels rigid; creativity without foundation doesn't last.
After graduating from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), I founded RyKier to explore this tension. I wanted to create jewelry that honors the weight of that early memory — pieces designed with an artist’s vision and an engineer’s precision.
THE NAME
RyKier combines the names of my sons, Ryan and Kieran. It keeps this work personal and reminds me to design with longevity in mind — pieces meant to be worn, kept, and carried forward.
THE PHILOSOPHY: SOFT STRUCTURE
Soft Structure is my way of balancing strength with softness. I design pieces with presence, but never stiffness — forms that are shaped to sit naturally on the body, with structure, ease, and movement working together.
My work often brings together stronger architectural lines with quieter, more fluid elements, so each piece feels substantial without becoming rigid.
Every piece begins as a digital sculpture I build in Pittsburgh. Working this way lets me shape contour, balance, and movement before the form is ever cast in metal. From there, the work moves to trusted studio partners in Bangkok for casting and final hand finishing.