Jewelry scribe Penny Proddow passes away

Celebrity Style Jewelry

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Jewelry scribe Penny Proddow passes away

By Catherine Dayrit

March 02, 2009

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Penny Proddow. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn

New York--Penny Proddow, a prolific jewelry author and InStyle magazine contributing watch and jewelry editor, has passed away after a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 65.

During her life, Proddow was an endearing and authoritative voice for the industry. In addition to producing numerous spreads for InStyle over her 13-year tenure with the magazine, Proddow was responsible for penning a number of beautiful and informing jewelry books.

With co-author Marion Fasel, Proddow wrote With This Ring: The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Jewelry; Bejeweled: Great Designers, Celebrity Style; Diamonds: A Century of Spectacular Jewels; and Hollywood Jewels: Movies, Jewelry, Stars. She also served as a contributor to the books Henry Dunay: A Precious Life and Art Nouveau by Rene Lalique, as well as co-author of American Jewelry: Glamour and Tradition.

Proddow breathed life into her work and informed it through a decades-long passion for art and the classics. She grew up in Greenwich, Conn., and generated a love for Latin and ancient Greek art while studying at Miss Porter's School and Bryn Mawr.

While concurrently writing and also curating the special collection of R. Esmerian--called by Christie's as "one of the greatest jewelry collections of all time"--Proddow worked as a lecturer at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she conceived and taught a children's classics course titled "Pause for Pegasus." She also penned a number of classics-based children's books, including, most recently, The Spirit of Spring: A Tale of the Greek God Dionysos.

Throughout the years, Proddow also served as a lecturer for various events and organizations, speaking at such venerable institutions as Christie's, Sotheby's, the St. Louis Art Museum and the Smithsonian.

She was much loved in the industry, with numerous designers and industry insiders singing her praises.

"In my career of fashion style and art jewelry, I have known only a handful of magnificent geniuses and been blessed to have met them briefly, or better yet, to have worked extensively with them. Penny Proddow ranks up there amidst those few, from Diana Vreeland to Polly Mellon, Andy Warhol to Steven Sprouse," designer Robert Lee Morris said. "These are people who have changed the world, who have emitted such strong beams of inspirational light that they are like human generators for the masses of people who thrive on their energy."

Ralph Esmerian, owner and president of R. Esmerian Inc., whose special collection Proddow curated for over 40 years, described her as "magical."

"Penny, in this world that becomes more and more corporate in its outlook, production and way of doing business, really stood out as a human character," Esmerian said. "She represented what so many of us should be, holding onto the qualities of childhood--exuberance, excitement and innocence--which was tempered by her great intellectual ability, which sharpened her judgment and allowed her to use the tools of literature and art in her critiques. She was such a rounded individual and so refreshing in today's world."

Tiffany Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Kowalski said Proddow was "an extraordinary ambassador for our industry."

"Her love of jewelry, her insights about our business, and the sheer joy and fun of being with her made every moment spent with her a sheer pleasure," Kowalski said.

For celebrity jewelry Neil Lane, whose engagement rings are a constant presence on the fingers of Hollywood’s starlets, Proddow’s influence was immense.

“She was a maverick for the jewelry industry,” Lane said. “She was a trooper, unrelentless in her staying power. We did the first celebrity wedding issue for InStyle, and she was the first person to call me, eight or 10 years ago, for my insight into celebrity weddings. There was very little [of that type of coverage] before that. She was right there at the forefront. She was imaginative, intuitive and a real talent.”

Donations made in Proddow's name can be made to the Development Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Proddow lectured for some 35 years. To make a donation, please send checks to: The Development Department, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10028. In the memo line of the check, please note "In memory of Penny Proddow."

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