Necklace and Bracelet by Sam Patania
This is the first Blog I have ever done so here it goes…God knows who spends their time reading such things. I want to thank Hanuman for this opportunity. I have always enjoyed Orchid and can’t thank Hanuman enough for all his work in this regard.
Just this morning, 10-2-08 I finished a necklace and bracelet set I have been working on for 3 weeks. I made it out of Argentium Sterling Silver and 18 Karat Gold set with Sapphire cabachons. I bought the cabs from Tim Roark out of Atalanta, GA.
The past few months I have been working with the spiculum shapes which are tapered hollow tubes I make out of 22 gauge sheet silver. I start bending the tubes by using my Bonny Doon press which is my favorite tool. I push the cut out sheet into urethane then finish the tubes with a hammer to join the seams.
I have been blessed with an apprentice named Dick Barber who I met while teaching metalsmithing at The Drawing Studio here in Tucson. Dick has helped me on this project by cutting out the tube shapes then bending them with both the press and hammer. He also welded many of the tubes himself. The tubes can be torch welded because they are argentium.
I decided to use sawtooth bezels for these pieces since I have never seen or used 18K sawtooth bezels. I had to call Mike Maryott who has the shear which cuts sawtooth. My grandfather and Mike’s father went in together for the shear and the Patanias and Maryotts have taken turns having it in our workshops.
I love making these flowers, curling them into shape, and cutting them into the flowers. It really is what I love about metal in general which is the ability to shape it into anything. I don’t think I’m finished with the spiculum yet - I still have a passion for that shape. I will take a break for awhile to do other projects.
This necklace and bracelet set is now for sale in new York City at www.southwesternjewelry.net . Call Vicki Turbeville at 347-256-0127, she is located at 40 West 25th St, NY, NY 10010
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
sophie 10.03.08 at 9:16 am
that’s a remarkably beautiful thing…
Renate Sommer 10.03.08 at 9:30 am
Wow! Simply Wow! That is so gorgeous. If I get enough money together to buy a fare to America, can I come and work with you for a while. With great admiration for your skills, talents and inspirations…. Renate from South Australia
Daniel Culver 10.03.08 at 1:51 pm
Very nice looking.
Virginia Vivier 10.03.08 at 4:51 pm
Wow! Sam,that piece takes my breath away! It is very sensual. The contrast between the gold sawtooth flowers and Argentium tubing is fascinating. You should earn some kind of award for that piece this year!
I didn’t see any link to your website in your blog. Maybe you can add it next time you have another gorgeous piece to share with us!
helensgems 10.04.08 at 7:04 am
Hi Sam (it is Sam isn’t it?), your argentium and sapphire necklace and bracelet set is absolutely gorgeous! There’s a lot of work gone into the pieces for sure. The more you look, the more detail you see. Whoever ends up owning the set will be a very lucky lady indeed.
Helen Hill
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://www.helensgems.etsy.com
Anne Bellissimo 10.04.08 at 8:06 pm
Very nice work. A perfect (yes, I meant to use that word!) blend of imagination and skill.
Patricia 10.05.08 at 9:07 am
Gorgeous! I hope you enter this into a competition. Amazing work!
Patricia Tschetter
http://www.tschetterstudio.com
Cynthia Eid 10.05.08 at 1:57 pm
Hi Sam,
Great piece! Please send me an image(s?!) and any other work that includes spiculums or anticlastic or synclastic forming for possible inclusion in the book I am working on, Shell Forming for Jewelers and Metalsmiths: Creative Paths to Form. I’d be interested in showing it to my co-author, Betty Helen Longhi, and our editor, Tim McCreight.
Best wishes,
Cynthia
Mark Bahti 10.10.08 at 6:01 pm
This is more than a blog: it’s a chronicle of creativity…an annotated time lapse record of an artist’s process. Terrific!