ed wiener (1918-1991)

Ed Wiener, born in New York in 1918, was a modernist jeweler whose unconventional path was shaped by self-training; like many of his contemporaries, his formal education ended after high school. As a young man in New York City he held a variety of jobs, but he was also an early admirer of studio jewelry. He later recalled purchasing pieces from Francisco Rebajes and Sam Kramer and realizing that he, too, might enjoy pursuing jewelry making full-time. In 1945 he enrolled in a general crafts course at Columbia University, and by the fall of 1946 he had opened his first studio on 2nd Avenue at 2nd Street. The following winter he launched his first retail store—Arts and End—at 58 West 55th Street.

As his clientele increasingly gravitated toward modern art, Wiener moved closer to the Museum of Modern Art and eventually operated a store in Greenwich Village. Wiener’s work centered on movement and form, drawing early inspiration from Alexander Calder. Over time, however, he developed his own artistic vocabulary, shaped by an ongoing interest in experimenting with new materials and techniques in casting, setting, and joining. In the 1950s he began casting jewelry in Carvex, a plastic compound that can be modeled like wax, and later in his career he expanded into high-karat gold and gemstones. He remained in business until 1981, working from his store at 57th Street and Madison Avenue.

Wiener’s jewelry can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.