World-class jewelry designer Marilyn F. Cooperman is like her creations, an original. Marilyn began her career in design at the age of twenty. Moving from Toronto to New Zealand she wrote and illustrated the New Zealand Herald's first fashion and beauty column. In 1963 Marilyn moved to New York to work as a fashion designer. She met Fred Leighton at his Greenwich Village boutique and opened a studio on his premises to design and manufacture a collection of Mexican inspired resort wear.

In the 1970's Marilyn started an apparel company, Max and Marilyn that sold to Saks, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdale's. With rave press reviews for her deco-inspired creations, the celebrated Erte visited her studio and became a client and friend.

Marilyn's talent attracted the publishing world, and she became the fashion director for Seventeen. Simplicity contacted her to design and launch a series of Twelve Rooms patterns, an original prototype for the home sewing market. With the success of this project Marilyn became the Editor-In-Chief of Simplicity. Five years later she was asked by Vogue Patterns to be Editor-in-Chief.

Throughout her career Marilyn and Fred Leighton remained friends. In 1987 he asked her to join his prestigious establishment, renowned for its rare and beautiful jewels. As a designer for Fred Leighton, she acquired the expertise of deconstructing and re-designing outdated pieces. Marilyn's designs mingled with world-class jewelers such as Boivin, Cartier, Verdura, Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany and Suzanne Belperron.

With this unique background and the advice and support of Bernard Jacobs, a longtime friend and President of the Shubert Organization, Marilyn launched her own company in 1994. Her opening show was in Los Angeles where among other pieces, two major brooches were purchased, solely on the rendering of her designs.

For several years Marilyn was Fred Leighton's guest designer at the Annual International Art and Antique Fair in Palm Beach, where they showed together. Also Marilyn has shown in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Tornonto and Basel. Collectors of Marilyn's jewelry include Ariane Dandois, Parisian Antiquaire, Ivana Trump, Gretchen Leach, Danielle Steel, Frances Bowes, Princess Firyal of Jordan, Mrs. Jerry Jones, Janice Levin, Jayne Wrightsman and Mrs. Louis Gerstner.

Marilyn is published in five significant jewelry books. Extraordinary Jewels by John Traina includes two pieces designed and completed at Fred Leighton. Collector Suzzane Tennenbaum and jewelry historian Janet Zapata featured Marilyn's work in The Jeweled Menagerie. Their latest book Jeweled Garden features a necklace and brooch. The 2004 edition of Understanding Jewelry by Daniela Mascetti and David Bennett presents two of her brooches. The recently published Brooches: Timeless Adornment by Lori Ettlinger Gross showcases the Ancient Mariner brooch. For the last two years Marilyn has served on the Board of the American Society of Jewelry Historians. Marilyn resides in New York City. Her late husband, Alvin Cooperman was a writer and award winning theatrical and television producer.