Frank Patania, Sr. Necklace with Seven Shadowbox Elements [SOLD]

This exquisite necklace contains seven carefully crafted pendants that are set on a strand of silver beads. Each individual element has a beautiful piece of high-grade turquoise set in a handmade saw-tooth bezel placed in a textured shadowbox. There is a short extension link to adjust the length of the necklace. The necklace is elegant and modern, consistent with the style that was popularized by Frank Patania Sr. when he worked at Thunderbird Studios in Santa Fe and Tucson.

Frank Patania, Sr. was an internationally known silversmith and owner of Thunderbird Studios in Santa Fe and Tucson. Patina was born in Italy in 1899 and came to New York with his family at age 10. By the age of 19 he was working as a designer for a New York jewelry company—Goldsmith, Stern & Company, one of New York City’s largest. Here, he was exposed to modern trends in jewelry making and came to appreciate the value of using quality materials and fine craftsmanship. 

When Patania was 25, he contracted tuberculosis and the company sent him to Santa Fe where he began his career in the Southwest. He opened his first studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico—Thunderbird Studio in 1927— and began infusing Native designs into his work, creating a unique style in jewelry that was appreciated by people like Georgia O’Keeffe and Mable Dodge Luhan. He later opened another studio in Tucson.

His work is highly sought by collectors familiar with Southwest jewelry who appreciate quality craftsmanship and an elegant, distinctive look in wearable art. Patania hired Native American jewelers and mentored them in the art of refined gemstone setting and metalworking techniques. Some, like Julian Lovato, became famous in their own right. 

Frank Patania died in 1964, but his talent was passed down to his son Frank Jr. and his grandson, Sam, who continue to design and create innovative and beautifully constructed works of fashionable jewelry.

Condition: the necklace is in excellent condition

Provenance: this Frank Patania, Sr. Necklace with Seven Shadowbox Elements is from a Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: Contemporary Southwestern Jewelry by Diana Pardue

TAGS: Santa Fe, Kewa Pueblo, Hopi Reservation, Julian Lovato, Frank Patania, Jr., Frank Patania, Sr.