About Panetta

Learn About the brand

Benedetto Panetta was born in 1883 in Naples, Italy. He started out working with platinum, shaping fine jewelry that showed both skill and patience. Those early years at the bench gave him a reputation for precision, but his path shifted when he left Italy for the United States. In New York he took positions with leading costume jewelry firms, including Trifari and the Pennino Brothers, where he learned how to bring the elegance of fine jewelry into a more accessible form.<br><br> By 1945, Panetta had the confidence to open his own company in Manhattan. He built it around a clear idea: jewelry should look and feel like the real thing, even if it wasn’t made of diamonds or solid gold. His pieces used high-quality rhinestones, elaborate settings, and precious metal plating. They carried the appearance of wealth without the risks tied to owning expensive stones. Collectors and everyday buyers alike were drawn to the effect. To them, a Panetta bracelet or brooch had the glamour of fine gems without the steep cost.<br><br> The business became a family endeavor. Benedetto’s sons joined him, learning his methods and carrying on the same commitment to detail. Under their care the company kept going for decades, continuing until 1995. Through those years, Panetta jewelry gained a steady reputation for quality and authenticity. Many who bought it came to see it not just as costume jewelry but as a safer, stylish alternative to the real thing.<br><br> Today, collectors still look for Panetta pieces, recognizing the workmanship that set them apart from ordinary rhinestone jewelry. Each brooch, bracelet, or necklace reflects the vision Benedetto carried from Naples to New York: that beauty and elegance didn’t have to be out of reach.