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The seemingly simple jewelry of Betty Cooke conceals its technical perfection. Her geometric jewelry, here with circles and ovals, has been described as “gestural” and “in motion.” Her necklaces are like drawings. The artist explains, “we used to study what can be done with one straight line. I can spend years with a circle.” And she has. During her more than six decade career, Cooke has created sleek silver jewelry with a minimalist aesthetic. Growing up in Baltimore, she frequented the Walters Art Museum and studied art education at the Maryland Institute of Art. While many of her peers settled in New York’s Greenwich Village, Cooke remained in Baltimore where, with her husband, she worked broadly as a designer before opening The Store Ltd. in 1965, a retail space that continues to carry Cooke’s jewelry, alongside similarly minded clothing, accessories, and home décor.
Necklace
Betty Cooke (American, 1924 – 2024)
American
about 1959
Object Place: Baltimore, Maryland
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 26.7 x 18.4 x 1.3 cm (10 1/2 x 7 1/4 x 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
The Daphne Farago Collection
Accession Number2006.102
CollectionsJewelry, Contemporary Art, Americas
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Necklaces and neck bands
The seemingly simple jewelry of Betty Cooke conceals its technical perfection. Her geometric jewelry, here with circles and ovals, has been described as “gestural” and “in motion.” Her necklaces are like drawings. The artist explains, “we used to study what can be done with one straight line. I can spend years with a circle.” And she has. During her more than six decade career, Cooke has created sleek silver jewelry with a minimalist aesthetic. Growing up in Baltimore, she frequented the Walters Art Museum and studied art education at the Maryland Institute of Art. While many of her peers settled in New York’s Greenwich Village, Cooke remained in Baltimore where, with her husband, she worked broadly as a designer before opening The Store Ltd. in 1965, a retail space that continues to carry Cooke’s jewelry, alongside similarly minded clothing, accessories, and home décor.
DescriptionHalf-round rigid neckpiece with horizontal bar, from which four oval pendants of varying size are suspended on rigid vertical links of varying lengths
Signed
"Cooke Sterling" near clasp
ProvenanceMobilia Gallery, Daphne Farago, November 17, 1994 Daphne Farago; to MFA, 2006, gift of Daphne Farago.
CopyrightCopyright © 1959 Betty Cooke