Rare Vintage Sterling Silver Navajo Coral Necklace Choker by the renown artisan Frank Patania Sr Old Pawn 16" Length

Vintage, super rare, solid sterling silver coral necklace, signed by the renown artisan Frank Patania Sr. (1899 -1964) I had this necklace recently appraised in the USA. Open to offers :)

Dimensions of necklace:
Weight: 28 grams
Length: 16" approx
Width of widest drop 20mm
Length of longest drop 25mm (1" including loop)

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Frank Patania Sr. (1899-1964) was born in Sicily and immigrated to the United States at an early age. He began working as a jeweler at age 6, first apprenticing in Italy, and later with a goldsmith in New York. He moved out to the West after contracting tuberculosis and settled in Santa Fe. Frank had always worked in gold, but was profoundly inspired by Native American jewellery. In 1927, he opened the Thunderbird Shop in Santa Fe, and employed local Native American silversmiths. "After my first sight of the West, I never wanted to return east again. And when I saw what the Indians were doing with silver and turquoise I knew I had found the medium in which I wanted to design." These materials were new to him, but he quickly became one of the most innovative and skilled jewellers of his time. His style grew more refined and his fame grew, attracting important patrons such as Georgia O'Keeffe and Mable Dodge Lujan. Several of his assistants became renowned silversmiths in their own right, most notably his son Frank Jr. and Santo Domingo jeweler Julian Lovato.

Frank Sr.’s designs stood out among the more familiar shapes of Native American jewellery, and in turn, his work influenced many artisans in the area. “He brought with him an Italian design sense, and worked silver in a gold and platinum style that made his pieces more sculptural and lighter in appearance than what was being done by Native Americans at the time,” Patania Jr says. “His designs brought in clients who lived in the area part time and wanted jewellery that could be worn outside the Southwest.”