My Cousin, Mary Margaret Strong, aka Margaret De Patta, Mid-Century Jewelry Artist

"De Patta with her second husband, Eugene Bielawski, in 1957. Courtesy of the Margaret De Patta Archives (Bielawski Trust)." http://www.eichlernetwork.com/blog/margaret-de-pattas-house-sale-and-her-influence-shows

My 2nd 2x removed cousin, Mary Margaret Strong (1903-1964), was a jewelry designer in the San Francisco Bay area.  I knew nothing about her until I found her in my genealogy, but she made some very cool jewelry (that I can't afford lol). 

Her original name was Mary Margaret Strong.  She married Sam De Patta (1900-1967), a hat salesman, in 1928, and although she later remarried she kept his last name.  Her second husband, Eugene Bielawski (1911-2002), was also an artist.

Accoring to Wikipedia:

Margaret De Patta (née Strong; 1903–1964) was an American jewelry designer active in the mid-century jewelry movement.[1] Her innovative jewelry was influenced by the "Bauhaus school, constructivism, and democratic ideals".[2] Her work is collected in many major museums including the Smithsonian American Art Museum[3] and the Oakland Museum of California.[4] The first major retrospective of her work, Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta, opened at the Museum of Arts and Design in 2012.[1]

Her obituary named her as Margaret DePatta Bielawski:

San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, Mar 22, 1964
Page: 30
from GenealogyBank.com 

Bielawski - In Oakland, March 19, 1964, Margaret DePatta Bielawski, beloved wife of Eugene Bielawski and sister of Mrs. Benjamin Ginsburg of Van Nuys, Mrs. William, J. O'Brien of Oakland and Harold Strong Jr. of San Diego; aunt of Mrs. M. Mathans of Escondido, Mrs. Charles Carter of Santa Maria and Miss Diane O'Brien of Oakland.  A member of the Metae[sic] Arts Guild, the Designers Craftsmen of California, and the American Craftsmen Council.  A native of Tacoma, Washington. 

Private services were held Saturday afternoon, March 21, in Oakland.
(Albert Brown Mortuary)

Margaret's grandmother was a sister of my 2nd great grandmother Mary Jane (Tibbetts) Hartley.

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