Dates of Operation: 1926 – 1966
The Pennino Brothers jewelry in the collectible market today was made by three brothers: Oreste (Otto), Frank, and Jack Pennino.
Otto was the jewelry designer, with Frank the jeweler and master craftsman. Jack was the salesman and handled all relationships with their major accounts, including Spauling’s of Chicago and Saks 5th Ave. Their jewelry was sold through many other high end department stores.
Stringfield, Dotty. Three Neapolitan Princes and the Legacy of Pennino 15th Anniversary Issue of Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewelry, Vol. 16, No.1: Publisher Lucille Tempesta. 2006. p. 10.
The Pennino family immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s. Their father, Pasquale Pennino, was a trained jeweler who quickly started a jewelry business. After Pasquale’s unexpected death in 1908, the brothers continued the jewelry business and officially opened Pennino Brothers in 1926.
Oreste (Otto) was the only designer. His design aesthetic is reflected in the consistent and recognizable “Pennino look” collectors love. For the most part the designs are artistic interpretations of florals using high-end stones. They have the look of fine jewelry but with a distinctive Pennino quality.
Expert craftsmanship, using top quality materials, was very important to the brothers, who were active in seeing that only jewelry they approved left their factory.
Stringfield p. 10
A 1949 advertisement for Pennino describes their jewelry as “Exclusive Costume Jewelry” with “scintillating elegance and exceptionally fine workmanship found only in expensive platinum and diamond jewelry.”
There are twelve known Pennino design patents for jewelry and seven design patents for watches. Most of the Pennino jewelry was not patented and did not have the copyright symbol in the signature.
Three of the design patents were for trees. The above example is interesting because the design of the flowers, with the dark centers and four petals, is a design trait found in other Pennino designs including the patent and pin shown below.
This recognizable Pennino design was produced in more than one color. It is a floral design with a large, three loop bow holding a bouquet of flowers. It is a mostly symmetrical design with graceful, drooping flowers. The stones in this example are all crystal with four ruby flower centers. It is rhodium plated. Each bloom is riveted in place and includes stabilization bars.
Pennino designs, even those produced after 1948, consistently maintain the “look” of 1940s jewelry featuring three-dimensional designs with ribbons, flowers, leaves, and flowing shapes. Early enameled Pennino jewelry is rare, and a favorite with collectors today.
In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s many brands embraced the avalanche of art glass tones available after World War II. Pennino did not follow this fashion trend. Pennino designs consistently used one or two stone colors maintaining the look of fine jewelry.
Pennino jewelry was signed, so customers willing to pay for quality, knew to look for the Pennino name. Occasionally, one piece in a set is found unsigned, but most of the jewelry is signed.
Pennino signatures are stamped into the metal and can be found in tight spaces.
PENNINO PAT. PEND. (not shown)
Pennino closed in 1966 when Frank’s eyesight started to fail. The family destroyed the molds to prevent lower quality reproductions of their designs. (Stringfield p. 10)
Pennino Gallery
Otto Pennino was a master at creating well-balanced asymmetrical designs. The following examples illustrate his skill.
This is a well-balanced asymmetrical design. The large “snowball” of color is the central point of focus and balances the heavier metal on the right. The plating is a pink/copper color. All of the sapphire stones are pasted into rhodium plated settings. The rhodium settings are part of the floral design AND add an extra level of contrast between the floral and the metal elements.
The back view shows the typical Pennino clasp with a thick pin stem, strong enough to hold this large pin in place.
The 3 1/2″ PENNINO STERLING pin shown below is a famous, recognizable Pennino design that was made in several colors. Collectors refer to the blooms as “Bulrushes”. Pennino produced many pin designs featuring variations of the “Bulrush” motif.
The next two sets date to the late 1940s – 1950s. They are essentially the same design with interesting variations.
The scalloped design of this lovely Pennino set features two rows of curving metal alternating with faux moonstones and sapphire rhinestones. It is a fully symmetrical design that extends all of the way around the neck. The earrings mirror the necklace design. The sapphire stones, in typical Pennino style, add eye-popping contrast to the design.
The following Pennino necklace was featured in a 1954 advertisement called “Pennino Gala Night” and originally sold for $20.00. The design group is described as “The moonlit radiance of scintillating baguettes and rhinestones, a new dramatic design…so eloquently Pennino.” At this time Pennino was using the hook and tail design for at least some of the necklaces.
Author’s Note: In general, for most brands, the hook and tail design was first used after 1948.
Leaf designs like this one were popular with many brands in the 1950s and 1960s. Like this example, the leaf designs often have curls at the tips of the leaves. This Pennino version is recognizable as Pennino due to the scattering of tiny rhinestones over the leaves and the characteristic Pennino bright gold plating.
Author’s Note: The book The World of Fashion Jewelry by Barbara Ellman offers an explanation for some of the etching found on the backs of vintage jewelry. Her explanation does not apply to the markings on this Pennino, but it is interesting and worth including here.
Ellman writes,
During the 1950s, Marshall Field’s Department Store in Chicago required that all Fashion Jewelry be marked, by scratching with a pin on the backs of the pieces, with the first letter of the season followed by the last two digits of the year in which they were delivered, such as “F51” for Fall, 1951.
Ellman, Barbara. The World of Fashion Jewelry. Highland Park, ILL: Aunt Louise Imports, 1986. p. 209.
The etched marks on the Pennino are fascinating, but their meaning may never be known. However, it is interesting that this necklace is otherwise unsigned, verifying that not all pieces in a Pennino set are marked.
Conclusion
Pennino Brothers can best be described as a family-owned business rich in talent, integrity, and family loyalty.