The De Patta Project

Artist list

Maja Bennett, Deborah Boskin, Petra Class, Sandra Enterline, Geoffrey Giles, Joanna Gollberg, April Higashi, Tom Hill, Dave Jones, Terri Logan, Deb Lozier, Dawn Nakanishi, Brigid O'Hanrahan, Julia Turner, Andrea Williams

New jewelry from old stones acquired from the estate of Margaret De Patta (1903-1964)

In February, The Oakland Museum of California will open an exhibition of modernist jewelry pioneer Margaret De Patta's work. This retrospective will travel to the Museum of Art and Design in New York City in June 2012.



Studio jeweler Margaret De Patta blended Constructivist principals with Bauhaus design to create miniature sculpture that moved with its wearer. Based in the Bay Area, De Patta, who studied with Bauahus sculptor Moholy-Nagy in Chicago is credited with starting the American studio jewelry movement on the West Coast. The Oakland Museum holds the largest collection of De Patta's work, most of which was donated by her husband Eugene Bielawski after the artist's untimely death in 1964. De Patta and experimental lapidary artist Francis J. Sperisen explored the optical effects of faceting and lenses on gemstones to create wearable sculpture unlike any jewelry of the time.

The De Patta Project was born when Velvet da Vinci purchased many of these unset stones from the estate of Margaret De Patta. There are some beautiful cut stones by Francis J. Sperisen, cabochon stones and beach pebbles found by De Patta. De Patta's nontradtional use of gemstones and non-precious pebbles are key to the understanding the importance of her influence on the field of contemporary jewelry. 15 jewelers have now used these stones to create pieces for an exhibition opening at the same time as the Oakland Museum De Patta retrospective. The De Patta Project exhibition also includes De Patta's original drawings of unrealized jewelry pieces and tools from her famed workshop.