Sam Patania: 3rd Generation Silversmith - Epi. 103, Host Dr. Mark Sublette

Sam Patania took the time to come to the Medicine Man Gallery
Studio for this episode of the Art Dealer Diaries. We've been
kinda slow, hunkering down through quarantine, so it was
wonderful to spend an hour and talk face to face with an actual
human being. One of the best silversmiths in the business, Sam's
has an amazing family history. He's a third-generation
silversmith whose grandfather, Frank Patania Sr, opened the
Thunderbird Shop in 1927 in Santa Fe and not long after that in
1937, came to Tucson. His grandfather was an immigrant with a
third-grade education who came from Italy and ended up being
friends with Georgia O'Keeffe and having dinners at La Fonda with
Robert Oppenheimer. So for the people listening that are really
into Patania jewelry or silversmiths in general, this will be
very interesting for you all as we go through a lot of the
Patania history, types of hallmarks used during different time
frames, and the artistic process of one of the best silversmith's
in the business.