Afro-Cuban artist Art Smith was part of a network of mid-century makers known as Studio Jewelers, because they designed and produced one-of-a-kind works of art, often sold in their own gallery retail spaces. Like many of his peers, Smith worked in Greenwich Village in New York where he was part of the burgeoning art scene. His retail space and studio pulsed with the rhythms of jazz music and was a hang-out for his famous friends and clients, such as renowned choreographer Talley Beatty. A lover of dance and music, Smith explained, “A piece of jewelry is a ‘whatisit?’ until you relate it to the body…like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form…the question is not how do bracelets go, but what can be done with an arm?” This necklace, named for jazz legend Duke Ellington, includes many of the basic tenets of Smith’s work: a sense of dynamism, bold scale, and open areas for skin to become part of the design. Celebrated in his lifetime, Smith’s work was featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s Modern Jewelry Design exhibition in 1946, and many others.

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