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Jewelry Designer Marilyn F. Cooperman Dies
The dynamic creative known for her brilliant red lipstick, enthusiasm and gift for friendship left her mark on fashion and jewelry.
Marilyn F. Cooperman’s “Jody” necklace, earrings and pendant/pin feature a combined 219 carats of emeralds. The late designer’s suite is for sale at Houston’s Tenenbaum Jewelers. (Image courtesy of Tenenbaum Jewelers)
New York—Jewelry designer Marilyn F. Cooperman died on Aug. 19, according to an online obituary.
Cooperman was born in 1936 in Toronto.
Her career as a jewelry designer was widely informed by her vast fashion world experience, which, according to Christie’s, began in New Zealand, where she moved at age 20 and worked as a fashion journalist.
In 1963 she relocated to New York City.
There she met Fred Leighton and designed a line of resort wear for his store, which was located in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village at the time.
She went on to create Art Deco-inspired clothing for her own company, Max and Marilyn, in the 1970s, before returning to the world of fashion publishing as fashion director of “Seventeen,” then editor-in-chief of “Simplicity,” followed by “Vogue Patterns.”
In 1987 she returned to Fred Leighton, directing her many talents to jewelry design, creating new pieces and updating old ones.
She launched her eponymous line, the Marilyn F. Cooperman collection, in September 1993.
Her elaborate statement jewels mixing silver, gold and gemstones reside in the permanent collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, Yale University Museum and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and appear at auction houses like Christie’s.
Her work is for sale online at 1st Dibs and The RealReal, as well as esteemed retailers like Houston’s Tenenbaum Jewelers.
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