(PRESS RELEASE) Jewelry designer and retailer Mark Cohen died on May 27 peacefully with his family at his side. He was 63.
Cohen designed jewelry for J.J. Marco, the designer jewelry brand he founded in 1990 with his wife, Julianne Jaffe. During its 15 years as a wholesale brand, J.J. Marco jewelry was available at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and independent jewelers across the country.
In 2005, Cohen and Jaffe opened a retail J.J. Marco location on Madison Avenue in New York. Cohen continued to design custom jewelry for customers.
In his design work, Cohen drew on his art background and degree from Pratt Institute as well as his experience as a bench jeweler as an apprentice in his father’s fine jewelry workshop. Cohen’s designs won widespread acclaim from retail jewelers across the country as well as many design awards.
“He was a wonderful photographer and sculptor as well as a jewelry designer,” Jaffe said. “But the first thing everyone noticed about him was what an incredibly thoughtful kind generous person he was.”
“Not only did he leave this world with a body of signature, beautiful jewelry designs but, and perhaps more importantly, he left after living a life of trying to make the world around him more beautiful,” said jewelry journalist Lorraine DePasque.
In his spare time, Mark was an avid fly and saltwater fisherman and a devoted runner who completed 13 marathons.
In addition to wife Julianne Jaffe, Cohen is survived by his children Stefanie and Jeremy.