Gladys Panis
Gladys Panis designed and created silver jewelry in Falmouth for nearly seventy-five years, until her death at the age of 101. She was born in Swanville, ME in 1900, and graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1923. She married classmate Stavre Panis in 1927, a fourth-generation silversmith, thus beginning nearly 50 years of working together to craft fine silver jewelry and gift items. In 1976 she was commissioned by the Marine Biological Laboratory to design a pair of candlesticks for the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Michael O'Donnell, a master craftsman, apprenticed under Mrs. Panis and is continuing to produce her exquisite designs.