Tag: Sam Patania

Legendary Patania Jewelry

In the Tradition of the Southwest

Now available!

Celebrate three generations of significant American jewelers—their stories and their stunning work—in the only authorized history of the Patania family.

The Patania’s unique jewelry blends their Italian heritage, midcentury modern design, and influences from Native American southwestern jewelry, resulting in a singular and striking style. The authors chronicle the history of the family from 1899, when Frank Patania Sr. was born in Italy, through his son Frank Patania Jr., up to the present day, where the third generation, Sam Patania, continues the tradition of designing and making modern jewelry with a southwestern flair. This first full-length publication for collectors, historians, and enthusiasts documents the jewelry made by the Patanias and their craftsmen, sold at the Thunderbird Shop, including information to attribute and date pieces, history of hallmarks used, and biographies of noted silversmiths who worked there. Beautiful images, including full-page photos of never-before-published masterpieces, make this the definitive resource on the family and their continuing legacy.

Book Details:
ISBN: 978-0-7643-6446-4
Size: 8 1/2″ x 11″
Illustrations: 304 color and b/w images
Pages: 256
Binding: hard cover
Price: $60.00

Available at SchifferBooks.com and Amazon.com.

Our Exciting New Project

In April 2020 we were approached by the Patania family to write a history of the Thunderbird Shops located in Santa Fe and Tucson. Not only are we honored to have been asked, we’re excited to take this on as our next project.

Having delved into a bit of the history of the Thunderbird Shop, especially the hallmarks used there, in Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry, we are somewhat familiar with the story we are tasked to tell.

But having access to Frank Jr, Sam and the family archives means we can convey the legacy of three generations of Patania artisans to its fullest.

Please excuse us during this time for the lack of new content here, but every spare minute is being devoted to photography, research and writing in an effort to have the Patania book in collector’s hands as soon as possible.