FP035 Vintage Frank Patania Jr. EXTREMELY RARE sterling silver cuff bracelet; circa 1960
Origin: Tucson, AZ
Dimensions: 5.5" end to end plus .88" gap; approximately 2" wide visually but 1.75" wide at center front; peaks stand .75" high; 1" wide at back; 100.9 gm
Condition: Excellent
Provenance: This design is the same as one of two Frank Jr. bracelets on permanent collection in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. This particular bracelet came from the estate of a Pan American World Airways executive. Only two bracelets of this design are known to exist.
Price: $7,500

For the serious collector of Patania family jewelry, an extremely rare and important bracelet best described in Frank’s own words:

‘…As I recall my creative process just developed as a progression of design first and then executing it, I learned new techniques as I worked. Sometimes I didn't know if I had the skill until I got into the project and developed what I needed to do. I even accepted commissions without knowing how to do them, but I always managed. I learned from each project. This bracelet required an interior structure to support the outer ‘skin’ and demanded great skill to shape the individual pieces into compound curves and solder them in place with no seams showing. It was a development of a simpler design using the same technique.’

The Huntress is grateful to Frank Jr. for sharing his story of this magnificent bracelet. While humble and straightforward in recounting the bracelet’s inception and completion, it is patently obvious from the outcome why Frank, in 1962, was included in the first annual survey of modern American jewelry by Craft Horizon magazine…a survey commented upon by modernist jeweler Ronald Hayes Pearson: ‘In evidence is a search for new forms of expression and inventiveness and a freshness that indicate the possibility of a bright future for some individuals. A wide variety of traditional techniques have been employed some with great success…Among the top ten percent the level of craftsmanship is excellent.’* Frank Jr., having won juried competitions easily fits within Pearson’s ‘top ten percent’.

When asked by the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery to provide pieces of his work for its permanent display commemorating the three generations of Patanias, Frank chose this design...its ‘genius’ being indisputable.

* From Shari Watson Miller’s article, ‘Patania: 70 Years of Excellence, Part II of II’ on Modern Silver’s website.