Hello all - I’m excited to start collecting turquoise jewelry and recently won this on Goodwill.com. Can anyone tell what year this is from and what kind of turquoise it is? Could it be Bisbee or Persian? How much do you think it’s worth?
Thanks!
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based on hougart’s he started using the embossed hallmark inside the oval with the thunderbird in the 1950s and the shopped closed in 1964 when he died (was reopened in 1968 by his son Frank Jr. but he has his own hallmark that is different).
Nice piece. I always keep my eye out for FP designs.
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I’m not very familiar with him. He was from Italy, correct?
Lovely pendant.
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I think it’s Kingman. I would ballpark $200 ish, though it would be helpful to see its size/scale.
@Ziacat The Patania family and the Thunderbird Shop are an important piece in the history of modern Native jewelry, and modernism in jewelry generally. Several famous Native smiths worked for them. There’s a major book on them coming out soon, by Kim and Pat Messier.
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Ya know, I even wondered myself if it was Kingman, cause I have some that looks at lot like that.
Thanks for the info @chicfarmer. I heard the name, but haven’t learned much about him.
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So I believe I have read somewhere in material I have that Kingman matrix is sometimes darkened to black to stand out more. Am I remembering that correctly? Does this pendant have that look?
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Yes, and this is what that looks like. I can’t swear to it as fact concerning this pendant, but could be. The shop definitely used nugget Kingman on occasion.
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Thanks again. I was wondering partly because I have a pawn ring from Tobe Turpen’s (yes got it quite awhile ago) that says Kingman. It’s natural, I believe, because it’s completely changed color through the years (started out really light). It also appears to have had some blackened matrix and is now showing white in places. I still love the ring.
One more question; is nugget turquoise similar to seafoam?
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I use the terms slightly differently, maybe others don’t. To me, seafoam is a color and a type of surface–always bubbly like seafoam bubbles, and generally a green-blue. Seafoam is dimensional and variable in its surface, and not smoothed and shaped into cab form. Nugget turquoise is also dimensional, natural in form, and not cabbed, but it doesn’t have a bubbly surface, nor necessarily the seafoam blue-green color.
I wonder how many different takes on this there are!
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Thank u, that’s helpful. I’ve seen it (seafoam) used so often.
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@Sparky Great piece to start with! He did wonderfully creative, original designs. Another favorite of mine, Julian Lovato, trained and worked at Patania’s Thunderbird shop. I agree it looks like Kingman, likely darkened to accent the dark matrix. Congrats on starting your collection!
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@chicfarmer I didn’t know that Kim and Pat were writing a book about Frank Patania and the Thunderbird shop - yay! Although after they wrote the Garden of the Gods book, I thought I heard they might write additional books on significant Trading Posts and shops influencing NM jewelry. Thanks for the heads up; I’ll look forward to it!
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I tend to follow your guidelines with the seafoam. It’s color and texture rather than just nuggets. I’m really looking forward to Kim and Pat Messier’s book about the Patania family.
I like their work and have several pieces. One shattuckite cuff and a pendant and handmade chain that I believe is Morenci by Frank Sr.; a cuff by Frank, Jr. that I believe is Persian and then my favorite pin/pendant that is not signed. It has been authenticated by Sam Patania as theirs and the turquoise is red webbed #8. He kept emphasizing that the turquoise was very special.
Several years ago Sam wrote an article about the different hallmarks that his grandfather, father and he have used over the years.
Sam is on FB and recently I have seen some of his work in Medicine Man Gallery. He was also selling himself not too long ago. Last year he closed his brick and mortar shop and went to online only. His website is Spatania.com.
Sparky you have a Lovely pendant that I hope you will enjoy wearing!
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Sam Patania is on Facebook, you could ask him - I’ve been “friends” with him for years, seems very approachable.
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Islandmomma, have you posted your pieces in the past, and if not, could you now? I’ve only been on here since Sept. I have looked back through most of the old posts, but don’t remember them. I’d love to see your stuff!
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yeah,well keep a washcloth handy…to wipe the drool off your chin
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@chicfarmer yes, I always think if seafoam as a type of nugget! But all nuggets are NOT seafoam (lol). But as you say seafoam nuggets have the charactistic mounded “bubbly” surface. I agree, when I think of seafoam I think of greenish nuggets… but I’m sure I have seen darker blue seafoam nuggets? It may be interesting to post a few examples of seafoam to understand the variety out there.
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Yes, this is what I picture when someone says seafoam
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Thanks @Ziacat! I feel extremely lucky to have come across it.
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