Studio jewelry · Woven metal
Silver with a textile structure
Mary Lee Hu (born 1943 in Lakewood, Ohio) makes jewelry by treating metal wire as a material that can be woven. She earned her BFA at Cranbrook in 1965 and her MFA at Southern Illinois University in 1967, where she explored the meeting of textiles and metal.
Her work asks you to look past silver’s familiar smooth surface. In woven jewelry, each strand helps create a larger shape. The museum examples below move between silver, gold and lacquered copper; the material list matters as much as the artist’s name.
In her 2009 Smithsonian oral history, Hu discusses Neckpiece #7, dated 1970–71 in the transcript, as combining silver, gold and maroon magnet wire. Together with the dated 1980 silver choker at the Museum of Arts and Design, this documents silver work extending beyond five years.
Artist Trust awarded Hu its Twining Humber Award in 2008. Its account also records three NEA Crafts Fellowships and her work in major museum collections. This is recognition by an arts organization, not a certification of any piece offered for sale.
Teaching and professional service also shaped her career. Hu taught Metal Arts at the University of Washington from 1980 to 2006 and served as SNAG’s president from 1977 to 1980. In June 2024, SNAG presented her with its Lifetime Achievement Award, the organization’s highest honor.
From the museum collection
How wire becomes a neckpiece
Four studies connect named records to practical questions about materials, construction, fit and attribution. Follow the collection links to view the original photographs.
Choker #35: woven wire, several materials
The Met credits Hu as designer of Choker #35, 1977, accession 2007.384.23. Its listed materials are 24K gold, silver and lacquered copper electrical wire. The museum relates its organic forms to aquatic life and describes a working method using fingers and occasional pliers.
The object measures 24.8 × 17.2 × 3.8 cm. Those are overall dimensions, not an inside neck measurement. Before considering a wearable example, establish how its opening, depth and orientation relate to the intended wearer. A photograph alone cannot answer that question.
For comparison, the Met’s Choker #70, dated 1985, is catalogued in 18K and 22K gold, without silver in its medium. A related artist, title or construction does not make every work a silver object.
Choker (#38): preserve the mixed-metal description
The Smithsonian’s Choker (#38), 1978, is accession 1985.22, a gift of the James Renwick Alliance. Its medium is fine and sterling silver, 18k and 24k gold, and lacquered copper. At 24.5 × 16.6 × 2.3 cm, it combines several metals within one neckpiece.
The museum describes hand weaving and forms that suggest leaves or feathers. Keep the complete material description with the object. Calling it simply “sterling silver” would omit both the fine silver and the other metals.
A mixed-metal surface also deserves a careful care plan. Do not assume that a treatment suitable for plain silver is suitable for lacquer, gold and a fine woven structure together. Seek advice before cleaning an unfamiliar piece.
Choker #55: twining is part of the record
The Museum of Arts and Design dates Choker #55 to 1980 and records sterling silver and silver wire, with the technique identified as twined. Accession 1984.10 measures 15.2 × 21.3 × 2.5 cm. It was purchased by the American Craft Council with National Endowment for the Arts funds in 1984.
The date made and the date acquired are different facts. Likewise, “silver wire” should not silently become “fine silver” when the record does not specify that fineness. Preserve the museum’s wording rather than harmonizing it with another choker.
When looking at woven jewelry, examine the edges, ends and transitions as well as the central pattern. Ask for views of both sides and any fastening. Record loose strands, uneven tension or repairs without assuming that every irregularity is damage.
A marked neckpiece: keep the auction evidence bounded
Phillips catalogued a sterling-silver Neckpiece from the Estate of June Schwarcz as 1970s, measuring 18.4 × 16.5 × 3.8 cm. Its lot 97 description transcribes the stamp as HU/STERLING. This is an auction-house record for that particular object.
The transcription is not a complete hallmark history, a date range for the stamp or proof that another object is by Hu. The slash is retained as printed, without reconstructing the impression. Request clear mark photographs, the whole-object record and supporting provenance before making an attribution.
Do not substitute a recognizable technique for authorship. Woven metal can be studied across many jewelers; an artist’s name needs evidence specific to the piece. No mark or signature has been redrawn here.
Names & chapters
How the story developed.
- 1965–1967
Metals and textiles meet
Hu earns her BFA at Cranbrook and MFA at Southern Illinois University.
- 1977–1980
Three separate museum chokers
The Met, Smithsonian and MAD records date Choker #35 to 1977, Choker (#38) to 1978 and Choker #55 to 1980.
- 2008
Artist-community recognition
Artist Trust awards Hu the Twining Humber Award.
- 2009
An artist’s account
Mija Riedel interviews Hu on March 18–19 for the Archives of American Art.
- 2024
SNAG Lifetime Achievement Award
Her peers honor a career in studio jewelry and teaching.
Follow an interest
What to explore.
A research profile of Hu’s studio jewelry, centered on documented silver and mixed-metal works. It is not a current shop, a complete catalogue, an authentication service or a comprehensive stamp chronology.
Check the details
Before you buy.
Begin with the whole object, then follow the wire, the record and the questions still open.
Open the references
Research this name.
- Biography and education
Explore the Smithsonian biography
Follow the background to her woven-metal practice.
- 2009 interview record and summary
Read the oral-history record
Explore the artist’s account of materials, teaching and technique.
- Artist-community recognition and teaching history
Read SNAG’s lifetime-achievement account
Follow her teaching, leadership and 2024 recognition.
- Artist-community recognition
Read Artist Trust’s award profile
Check the 2008 award and related professional recognition.
- Museum collection
Study Choker #35
Compare the 1977 object, its medium and overall dimensions.
- Museum collection
Study Choker (#38)
See the mixed-metal neckpiece and its hand-woven construction.
- Museum collection
Study Choker #55
Check the silver materials, twined technique and separate acquisition date.
- Museum comparison
Compare the gold Choker #70
Distinguish a related gold work from the silver examples.
- Auction catalogue; object-specific mark transcription
Read the marked neckpiece entry
Inspect the 1970s Neckpiece listing, not a universal stamp guide.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Explore jewelry fit and fastenings
Compare wearable forms, proportions and practical fit.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Study jewelry construction
Separate a construction observation from an attribution.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Keep collection records
Connect provenance, condition and research to one object.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Compare Art Smith’s studio jewelry
Explore a different approach to jewelry and the body.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Compare Margaret De Patta
Follow another studio jeweler’s relationship between material and form.
Sources & further reading
- Explore the Smithsonian biography Smithsonian American Art Museum · Biography and education
- Read the oral-history record Smithsonian Archives of American Art · 2009 interview record and summary
- Read SNAG’s lifetime-achievement account SNAG · Artist-community recognition and teaching history
- Read Artist Trust’s award profile Artist Trust · Artist-community recognition
- Study Choker #35 The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Museum collection
- Study Choker (#38) Smithsonian American Art Museum · Museum collection
- Study Choker #55 Museum of Arts and Design · Museum collection
- Compare the gold Choker #70 The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Museum comparison
- Read the marked neckpiece entry Phillips · Auction catalogue; object-specific mark transcription
Sources checked November 11, 2026. Museum material descriptions and numbered titles remain object-specific. The Phillips entry is identified as auction evidence.