About Us

I've been a creative my entire life.

Growing up on the Gulf Coast, my first paid project was hand-lettering and painting the vessel name on my dad's shrimp boat (and the boats of a couple of his friends) when I was in fifth grade. I took extra-curricular art classes in grade school through high school, and earned an advertising degree from the University of Texas at Austin. 

As a young(er) adult, I built a career in marketing and design, putting in 8 years on the corporate side before establishing my own marketing and design firm. For more than 20 years, I contracted with small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies developing branding and strategy, designing logos, writing copy and creating printed material and websites.

After about 30 years in the field, I moved into a different industry (professional counseling) but still love to create things. That's why Domineaux was born.

The inspiration for these necklaces came from a piece I found in New Orleans over 20 years ago (pre-Katrina) at a shop on Magazine Street. To this day, it is one of the longest-running pieces in my own jewelry box, and I get compliments on it EVERY time I wear it. 

Based on the attention it brings, I thought others might like a similar piece, so I started hunting for and buying vintage dominoes. I started with sets dating to the 1950s and 1960s from Puremco, a company famous for its "marblelike" dominos and proprietary imprinting process. At one time, the company, based in Waco, Texas, was the world's largest producer of dominoes. I like the feel of these pieces—from the weight of the dominoes themselves, to the way they clink when they are jumbled together on a table. It reminds me of time spent playing dominoes as a kid, and the stories each of these tiles could tell from all of the tables they've occupied.

For the other components I utilize in my necklaces, like solid rubber cords, clasps, endcaps, and jump rings (all sterling silver), and craft gift boxes, I prioritize sourcing from other small businesses. I believe in supporting small businesses, artists and other makers, and do so whenever I can.

The name Domineaux is a nod to New Orleans and the rich culture of the city. I spent the first 30 years of my life "next door," and during that time enjoyed a fair amount of time in New Orleans and other parts of the South. As a designer, I traveled to New Orleans annually for work, and took every opportunity I could to observe and absorb the life of this one-of-a-kind place. 

While I've lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2002, I never miss a chance to return to New Orleans.

Tiffany Butler
Domineaux