Patania Jewelry
At the GJX show, the Patania Jewelry booth featured striking silver jewelry, incorporating turquoise, red coral, and other gems, that stood out for its diversity in style. Some pieces had a strong Southwestern motif, while others blended in elements of modernism. A visit with the family at the booth while viewing designs from four generations of jewelers illustrated the diversity of styles.
The Patania family has been making jewelry in the southwestern United States since 1927. Frank Patania Sr. was only nine years old when he emigrated from Sicily to the United States in 1909 following a devastating earthquake. He opened the Thunderbird Shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after leaving New York following a bout of tuberculosis. His son Frank Jr., grandson Sam, and great-grandson Marco have all followed in his footsteps, each with his own distinct style.
The Thunderbird Shop was initially a curio shop selling Navajo and Pueblo silver jewelry along with Native American blankets, rugs, pottery, baskets, beadwork, and paintings. Frank Sr. started selling his own silver and turquoise art nouveau and Native American–inspired pieces such as jewelry, boxes, belt buckles, spoons, and letter openers out of the shop in the 1930s (figure 1). With the help of his wife, Aurora Patania, and other family members, the Thunderbird Shop grew and became a popular Santa Fe destination for prominent artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe. In fact, a 1933 Alfred Stieglitz photograph shows her wearing one of the Thunderbird Shop’s ridged silver bracelets, since renamed “Georgia” in her honor. Frank Sr. was known as a jewelry artist who brought a Mediterranean influence to silver and turquoise work. A second Thunderbird Shop was opened in Tucson in 1936.
As an apprentice to his father, Frank Jr., or “Pancho,” carried forward the silversmithing tradition, expanding it to incorporate modern design concepts. He began entering pieces in juried shows and developed a reputation as a top U.S. designer in the contemporary art movement. Frank Jr. was known for his meticulous craftsmanship, not only in jewelry but also in liturgical items and abstract sculptures. Two of his cuff bracelets are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Figure 2 shows a duplicate of one—the “Asymmetry” hollow-form bracelet, also known as the “Twin Peaks” bracelet.
Sam Patania studied under Frank Jr. for 10 years starting at age 14. After this training period, Sam began branching out with his own designs featuring metal texturing and shaping methods such as repoussé. He credits Danish silversmith Georg Jensen and American artist William Spratling as his inspirations. This year at AGTA, Sam’s expertise and passion for texturing was evident at his demonstration during the MJSA Journal LIVE session. Figure 3 shows an example of his work with turquoise and silver.
Sam’s son Marco Patania is continuing the storied family tradition with silver forming, texturing, and stamping. Trained by his father for six years from the age of 13, with additional training at the Haystack School of Craft in Maine, Marco draws inspiration from the mid-century modern vibe and the unique role of Los Alamos, New Mexico, in nuclear research during that era. He pays homage to these themes by incorporating vintage uranium-containing glass marbles into modern cuff designs (figure 4). These marbles fluoresce a bright yellowish green under ultraviolet light.
For nearly a century, the Patania family has followed a tradition of excellence in Southwestern and modern jewelry craftsmanship.
