1946 Pennino Cherry-Blossom Set

Pennino made some of the most elegant sterling jewelry of the 1940s, and this 1946 cherry-blossom set is a book-rated example of why. A brooch and matching clip earrings in polished sterling silver, set with pink rhinestones in a dimensional ribbon-and-floral-spray design patented on February 12, 1946 — a date that fixes it precisely in the great wartime era of American costume jewelry, when metal restrictions pushed houses toward sterling and the results were often exquisite. The brooch is a genuine book piece, appearing in Brunialti’s American Costume Jewelry, Volume 2, on page 8, where it earns four stars of five for rarity and collectibility. Matched sets like this rarely survive together. In excellent vintage condition, signed Pennino and sterling. Cherry blossoms mean the brief, precious beauty of spring — a fitting subject for a set this delicate and this rare. A documented treasure, complete.