ALBERTO CONTRERAS & SONS

 

ASH ALLEY

 

 

ASH ALLEY ARTISTS

 

ASH ALLEY - ALBERTO CONTRERAS & SONS

 

ALBERTO CONTRERAS, SILVERSMITH

Some Jewelry items made by Alberto Contreras, dating from the late 1950's.

Alberto Contreras was taught silversmithing, by Frank Patania Sr., prior to 1949.

Frank Patania's influence is evident in Contreras silversmithing today, in 2008.

In 1949 Alberto Contreras started his silversmithing shop, which would be one of

three main, custom silversmithing shops, in Tucson, during that era:

1. Thunderbird Shop - Patania

2. Alberto Contreras

3. Carlos Diaz

Alberto Contreras at right side of image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"AC" Hall Mark of Alberto Contreras

 

 

ALBERTO CONTRERAS & SONS - SILVER & GOLDSMITHS

146 west Drachman was the last location of Alberto Contreras & Sons. Pictured from left to right: Albert, Marc, Patrick, Alberto, Greg, Richard, & Michael.

Photo: From Tucson Visitor magazine - circa 1984

 

Last shop location at 146 west Drachman

 

 

 

 

 

Alberto Contreras and Eugene M. Contreras

Father and Son, Silver and Turquoise Box Collaboration

 

Silver and Turquoise box by Alberto and E. Michael Contreras

 

 

Alberto Contreras was born in 1928 in Tucson Arizona. When he was a senior at Tucson High School, he had apprenticed under Frank Patania Sr. from 1946 to 1948.

Alberto Contreras was greatly influenced by Frank Patania Sr.'s post modernest designs, so much so that his work has been sometimes mistakened to be the work of Frank Patania Sr.

Alberto Contreras started his jewelry business in 1949 in a local drugstore on Stone Avenue. He then moved to "The Pink Adobe", in 1953.

It was Alberto Contreras's first building location at 45 W. Council and Ash Alley, Tucson Az.

"The Pink Adobe", Alberto Contreras's first building location at 45 W. Council and Ash Alley, Tucson Az.

 

I was born in 1952 and remember parts of this box at his first shop at 45 W. Council street and Ash Alley.

The box parts were: the octaginal shaped base of the box and eight shallow pyramid sections that were going to be used for each of the eight sides.

The side sections that he had planned for were never used because the silver had to be repuposed for paying customer jewelry orders when business was slow and he had no other silver at hand.

The octaginal shaped base remained intact until the mid 1970's when he decided to start working on the box. He had a good supply of high grade Persian turquoise which he had planned to use on the box.

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The image on the left is Alberto's design, along with a small amount of Persian turquoise and the silver floral pattern that he had planned to use on the top of his box.

Time passed and his progress on the box did not continue. When he passed away in 2004 all the Persian turquoise had been used for other jewelry orders.

My older brother Albert Jr. had inherited the base of the box and the floral pattern as it was shown in the first image to the right. In 2010, my brother Albert gave me the box,

which my father had completed making the octogon shape and lid, as shown in the images below.

 

These two images below show how much my father was able to progress on his box before he passed away.

 

I started working on the box in 2015. In the above image. I had just finished soldering the box lid lip at the uppermost section

when I then decided to photograph my progress at the different stages of my work on the box. All the folowing images show my work on the box.

Above and below images, I had soldered the rib sections between each of the eight sides. I then started to give each of the eight surfaces a matted texture, I also domed out each section.

 

In the above image, the sides of the box are all stamped with a matting tool and extra frames of eight guage wire has been overlayed around each of the eight sections.

High grade Kingman turquoise has been cut and polished to be used on the sides. The large stone is to be used to cover the hole at the center of the box lid.

Top view of box lid.

 

The setting for the large Kingman turquoise stone has been soldered in place and ornamentation is being applied on the box.

The influence of Frank Patania Sr. has been passed down to me, as shown in the design of this box.

 

Above, I am making the floral spray pieces.

I have added my hallmark below my father's "AC" stamp and textured and domed out the bottom of the box. The eight legs

have been sandcast and soldered as shown in the image below.

 

 

My progress on the sides and lid of the box, shown above and below.

 

The box was set with turquoise stones from the Kingman and Sleeping Beauty mines in Arizona and the Fox turquoise mine in Nevada.

 

The box shown before buffing and polishing. It has taken me ten years to get to this stage, while working on it between other jobs and waiting for the necessary inspiration.

At times, it was a sacrifice to buy silver and turquoise for this extravagant and elaborate box.

I would say that I took this project on for my father and it was a lot of fun. Artists and craftsmen do things like this but I would not do it again.

 

 

 

 

 

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