Bisbee Turquoise

I have written about how much I love turquoise and thought it might be nice to show some of the stones I have. Bruce Mead, bisbeerockman@embarqmail.com  ,visits regularly and always has something wonderful to look at and buy. I have an addiction to good turquoise. I comb through the Tucson Gem Show every year for turquoise and am always on the look out for it from any source. Since Bisbee is 6o miles away from my studio I have a special place in my heart for it. It is as local a turquoise as I can get.

The box shown above has what I would consider gold grade stone, as well as one or two platinnum stones. I have silver grade as well. This is the kind of material I have to look at for inspiration. Bisbee is tough to match sets from but there is a 4 stone set in the box above with a spiderweb style matrix. I used most of that set to make the pendant I Blogged about recently which is available at the Arizona Inn, 520-235-1541. That set was put into 18K gold vine pattern pendant on an 18K collar.

Bruce recently went to Nevada and mined some Royston turquoise and brought me a few fantastic pieces.

Royston Turquoise

Large pieces of American turquoise are hard to find so when ever I see it I try to buy it. The Bisbee I would use for cluster work or individual smaller jewelry pieces. The large Royston pictured above is a rarity for me to have. On first glance I would say it is a pendant stone but it could also go into a bracelet or belt buckle. The other two pieces in the picture don’t match each other so they would go into individual pieces.

Bruce was just in this morning and I bought 3 larger pieces of Bisbee, bright blue with little matrix. They match each other, so what am I going to make? Maybe a bracelet.

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Belt Buckles by Sam Patania

I occasionally do work for men, not often but occasionally. I made these three belt buckles last year and set them with premium turquoise. The one on top and bottom left have Bisbee turquoise and the bottom right with Carico Lake. My usual turquoise grading went out the window when I used gold grade stones in sterling silver.

The design of the different shapes of silver is a design my dad did years ago. He called it “Bits-O-Silver” and dad would use only triangular shapes in the work. I made many of these “Bits” items over the years I apprenticed to my dad and the challenge with that design was to not let any of the pieces face the same way as the adjacent “Bits”. I would solder and re-solder those bits until my dad was satisfied. My dad was a tough teacher and I hope if either of my children follow in my footsteps I am as tough a teacher as my dad. It was really the only way to learn, he never told me what I wanted to hear but kept me working until he was satisfied. It was, after all, his name on the sign on the front of the store and on each piece. I love my dad for teaching the way he did.

My father and grandfather employed many craftsmen over their careers, they always had a workshop full of smiths. Many of these craftsmen went on to start their own businesses after learning from my predecessors. That is not an unusual way for craftsmen to work, it has happened all through history. It was the only way for a non family member to learn this trade until schools started to teach the jewelry trade.These craftsmen used the FP hallmark to show that it was a piece designed by Frank Patania ( either senior or junior) but made in the work shop not necessarily by either Frank. This causes confusion these days since anyone looking at one of our shop pieces would see FP and assume a Frank had made it. My grandfather did not know that the family would continue the work he started and my father didn’t know I would continue it. The hallmarking was not seen as important in earlier days as it is now when collectors are trying to distinguish who made what piece from my family. It wasn’t until the 1999 Tucson Museum of Art show that I realized how important the hallmarking would become. I started to have the smiths use a mark of their own in conjunction with the FP to show who made the piece but that it was a Patania designed piece made in the Patania workshop.

I maintain that a school is no substitute for an apprenticeship because a school will not give the crafts person the opportunity to do many repetitions of the same project like a business situation does. If a school is all a person has to learn from and they have a burning desire then they will be able to take their schooling to a higher level of craftsmanship. Schools are very good at teaching design where in a family apprenticeship situation the family designs may become an end point not a starting point. I have tried all my career to be inspired by my predecessors but, differentiate myself with my designs and materials.

I made the “Bits-O-Silver” design my own by using, at first, different sizes of triangular pieces then branching out to include many different shapes in my pieces.  I have made bracelets and neck wear in this design but I love to use it for belt buckles the most.

I had these pieces with Mark Bahti, www.bahti.com, and he has sold two of them and I don’t remember which one is left. If you are interested in them please contact Mark, 520-577-0290 in Tucson where Howard Sice can help you if Mark is not in.

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Chain by Sam Patania, Bracelet by Frank Patania, Jr.

In this photograph I combined my dad’s and my jewelry for a two generation shot. Both pieces in sterling silver. Dad’s bracelet was made in the late1960’s or early 1970’s. It was a box form with a star Topaz on the top. This is typical of dad, classic design, clean work and shiny surfaces. No where to hide any blemishes. My father is a master craftsman. He has the patience and skill to be unafraid of designing clean pieces with highly finished surfaces.

My chain was made when I was in Michael Croft’s metals class at the University of Arizona. Michael had me working in techniques I had not been exposed to during my apprenticeship. He had me making pieces that had content which was a real stretch for me. I am not used to thinking in terms of symbolism for my own jewelry except that which is brought by those who buy it. I admire people who can make jewelry that has political or social meaning.

Jewelry is historically important to the society which produces it. I used to think my job was to make pretty things which held meaning to me as the maker where I had done my best to produce excellent work. I slowly realized that people would pick out a piece of my family’s work to mark occasions. The occasions varied from person to person, some were big like a weddings or small like commemerating a visit to Tucson. Nobody bought with out the piece meaning something to them. Some people would buy commissioned pieces which were one of pieces and they were included in the designing. Some would come in and look into our show cases and fall in love with the work we had made. In any case jewelry reflects, in a long lasting way, the fashion of a period and the personality of the wearer. The wearer assigns meaning to the piece by what is happening in their own lives. Just show interest in some one’s jewelry and they will often be willing to tell you the story of where it is from, when they bought it and what they love about it. Dig deeper and youfind out what the occasion was they were celebrating.

The chain pictured was made by lost wax casting. The waxes were made in plaster “bats” where the design is carved into the plaster and wax poured in. This is an interesting way to make multiples similar to tufa stone carving except wax is poured into the mold so the mold lasts a long time. The waxes are then cast in silver and linked together.

I shot this photo on the same apprentice I wrote about before, sometimes we really did get good shots.

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Pendant on Collar by Sam Patania

I approach my work with the idea that it will be around for generations and I hope it will be interesting to collectors of my family’s work. My work is driven by design and technique and I use materials which have intrinsic value. Jewelry with collector appeal that is well designed and has real value due to material selection is classic and will be enjoyable and sought after for ever. I do not ride trends.

My love of turquoise is undeniable and Bisbee is on the top of the list. I have access to one of the few sources of natural Bisbee turquoise through my friend Bruce Mead, bisbeerockman@embarqmail.com. The necklace in the last post I wrote and the pendant in this post are both centered around natural Bisbee turquoise. I continually write “Natural” because that is where the lasting value is in any turquoise.

The stones in this pendant are unusual because they match so well. Bisbee is very difficult to match sets from. Bisbee produces stone with many different matrix configurations and hues of blue. The sets I pick must match in 3 different ways, the first two are the most important. Primary is the blue, it must be consistent through out the set in hue and depth. Next most important is matrix for color, configuration and consistency of dispersion. Next is the cut, I don’t like to match high dome stones with low ones but I will if the blue and matrix match and I have no other choice to finish out a set.

This pendant was influenced by my grandfather’s designs of floral motifs. I made it  my own by editing it to make a piece that was wearable with today’s fashion. I put it on an 18K gold collar because the simplicity of the collar does not fight with the pendant. The collar is a wonderful neck piece by itself and will be worn often by a woman who recognizes it’s versatility. The addition of the pendant for more special occasions where a splash of color is desired, where she wants to show more of her personality is most special and exactly what I envision. Simple earrings such as diamond studs and a gold bracelet are all that is necessary to complete the look. Simple clothing, classical clothing and an attitude of confidence are the frames I work for.

This piece is now at the Arizona Inn, 2200 E. Elm, Tucson, AZ 85719, 520-325-1541. Ask for the gift shop.

FPS

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Necklace by Sam Patania

Bisbee turquoise is one of my favorite stones to work in.  a career filled with amazing things to work with Bisbee is at the top. Natural high grade Bisbee, the deep blue with red matrix is very hard to come by. Treated Bisbee is very available but natural is rare. When want to make signature pieces in turquoise I work with Bisbee.

My grandfather’s influence on this design is unmistakable. He was the master of the floral spray necklace. I often wonder how his work would be viewed if he worked in 18K gold. As an apprentice I felt that a silversmith was not as valued as a gold or platinum smith by the public. I could be the best silversmith on the planet and people would still ask if I worked in gold. So I taught myself goldsmithing. I love working gold.

Bruce Mead bisbeerockman@embarqmail.com started coming into my store years ago with Bisbee turquoise. Bruce had the best Bisbee I have ever seen and still does. Bruce is a master lapidary and he gets the best Bisbee to work with, a winning combination for me. Bisbee is hard to match into sets but Bruce was able to come up with the set pictured above and I had to make the necklace.

This necklace sold right away to a collector of my family’s work. Selling this piece to someone who knows turquoise was very satisfying. My gold work placed the stones in the order they are in but the stone had to be great to have the effect I wanted.

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Ring by Sam Patania

I have made many rings that were organic in design but, only a few which were as identifiably floral as this one.

This ring was fabricated out of 14K gold. The citrine in this ring was a large 14mm round which I mounted as the center of the flower. I had fun with the petals as the prongs for the mount and then carried the design further down the shank. I added some leaves in 14K yellow and white gold solid beads. Two small round rubies are on the sides of the flower one of which is visible in this photo.

I love doing this kind of work, there is no wrong to it. It is freeing and I get lost in it. Time flies when I’m in the middle of a piece like this. It does take a special stone to get the inspiration and the engineering necessary to mount the stone is a challenge I enjoy. After the engineering is nailed down the rest is easy.

The photography was done on film then scanned. I didn’t have the Cloud Dome at this time. I included some of the tools in this photo to document the kinds of tools I use and provide an interesting background. I have always enjoyed looking closely at historical drawings of metalsmith’s studios before photography was available as a documentary tool. Many of the tools in the drawings are similar to what I use today.

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Bracelet by Sam Patania

I’m not sure if I would call this series Modernist, I don’t know what I would call it. I had many stones I bought from Jeff Graham, www.faceters.com , which I bought because I loved them. I had inspiration from the brilliant colors and cuts and wanted to frame them with different colors of gold. These pieces are certainly modern, plain and clean but I have no label for them other than just that, modern.

I made the bracelet out of 18K white gold for the central piece and 18K yellow gold for the sides. The white framed the stones Jeff cut and didn’t interfere with the bright colors. I wanted to bring the richness of yellow gold to compliment the gold tourmalines but, didn’t want it next to the stones. I made bezels for the stones and soldered them underneath the center element so they are underset. This left the top of the piece very clean.

Pendant by Sam Patania

In this pendant I combined several colors starting with the stones, amethyst and peridot. I put them against white 14K gold but bezeled them in 24 K gold to bring that color next to the stones. The yellow gold compliments the stone colors but I didn’t want the whole piece in yellow. The different colors of gold have such different feelings associated with them for me. Yellow is an old world look and white is modern in my mind. Combining them with the color of the stone gave this piece a classic look and hanging it on pearl adds to that idea. This could be worn on a chain of either white or yellow gold for a more everyday look. I photographed it on pearl to make it more formal, to show it can be dressed up or down. I can see this on the neck of a beautiful woman wearing jeans and a button down shirt substituting the pearls with a chain as well as the shawl and dress I had the model wearing in this shot.

Pendant by Sam Patania

This pendant was in all 18K yellow gold with the same colors I used for the pendant above. I really love amethyst and peridot together. This piece is shown on an 18K gold chain and I think it could easily go on pearls to dress it up.

These colors are so strong that I think wearing diamond earrings with them or a small peridot or amethyst earring would be perfect. Anything else would be too much. I see these pieces as a signature piece on a small scale. The color will attract the eye and the gold will give the feeling of substance.

These pieces are all sold. I have more wonderful stones to use so if you are interested in work like this please contact me directly, my contact info is on my ” About Patania” page.

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Pin by Sam Patania

My, inspiration for this piece was the large citrine and the Tucson summer sun.  This citrine is about 30 by 22mm and had to be the centerpiece of what ever it was in. The Tucson summer sun is also very large and any Tucsonan lives from air conditioned area to air conditioned area. Or under a rock.

The sterling elements were made on a set of dies that my grandfather had made in the 1940’s or 1950’s. I had to clean them up and learn how to use them. I have many tools that he and my dad either had made or bought over the years. Learning to use the tools is always a challenge because I don’t have anyone who has used them before to teach me. Working the elements into my designs is another challenge. The elements influence my designing so for me the tools and techniques often drive my work. For this pin both the stone and die formed elements were available to me and I combined them into something that I like.

I will be doing more sun variations in the future, maybe I’ll wait until summer.

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Bracelet by Sam Patania

Bracelets by Sam Patania

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