As I was preparing to interview Betty Cooke, Baltimore’s preeminent jewelry artist, I came across an ad for the Store, Ltd. in the Baltimore Sun from 1989 that stated “When it’s Betty Cooke, everybody knows it. When it’s Betty Cooke, everybody notices.” I was struck by how relevant the ad was today, 31 years later. Indeed, when you see someone wearing a Betty Cooke piece, you take notice. Her jewelry, most of it composed of simple line work constructed in sterling silver, is elegant, timeless, and remarkably wearable.

With her late husband, the painter Bill Steinmetz, Betty opened the Store Ltd. 55 years ago. The design store, located in the Village of Cross Keys in North Baltimore, sells a plethora of functional objects, collectibles, and clothing alongside Betty’s jewelry. At 95, Betty has been working as an artist for over 75 years. Her jewelry, with its modern designs and strikingly simple forms, exists as a continuous through line connecting the decades of work she has accomplished as an artist and designer. On the day I sat down to interview her, she was a walking ad for her store, wearing a black sweater with white polka dots, black slacks, a slim-fitting black wool poncho, sensible shoes and polka dot socks along with two of her distinct jewelry pieces.

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