Necklace in Sterling and Coral

Necklace by Sam Patania

I received a commission earlier last month through my father to make one of his classic designs. The client wanted a duplicate of the necklace which was on our Tucson Museum of Art 1999 Stonewall Foundation Show catalog. Both my father and I looked through our archives of drawings and found the original drawings and templates for this piece.

 I ordered the coral from a supplier my father and I have done business with since the 1960’s, R.H. and Company out of Glendale, CA. They sent me this wonderful matched set and I went to work. This piece took me 2 weeks to craft after my apprentice , Dick Barber, did the initial cutting of the sections. This piece is all handmade out of sterling sheet and tubing. I used Argentium for the top layer of the overlay for it’s anti fire scale/tarnish properties. I cut the sawtooth bezel with the shear my grandfather used out of regular sterling.

Necklace by Sam Patania

This necklace has 34 corals set in it with the largest being 10*14 oval and the smallest is a 3mm round.

I was recently asked if I mind duplicating my father’s and grandfather’s work and my answer is that I love to do those projects. They are like old home week for me, it is how I was apprenticed and I miss those projects when I don’t have a commission. I still use the same tools I used when I apprenticed, the only difference being an extra flex shaft drill on my bench I bought from Otto Frei a few years ago. On my “new store bought” bench is also use the Bench Mate bench pin set up. Until I bought that bench I worked on benches my great uncle Carmello ‘Pat’ Patania made when my grandfather opened in Tucson in 1937. A few of the hand tools I use my father and grandfather used themselves and most of the larger tools like a bench sheer and bench break are of the same vintage and I use them daily.

This piece was made for a client who plans to give it to his lucky wife for Christmas. I hope she enjoys it for generations.

Necklace by Sam Patania

Tagged as: argentium, coral, Frank Patania, Otto Frie, pantania, Patania Jewelry, R.H. and Company, Sam Patania, silver