This rose-gold-washed sterling silver set with large, faceted, triangular sapphire-glass stones with diamanté accents is a wonderful example of the Retro Modern style of the 1940s. I couldn’t decide if the brooch should be worn horizontally or vertically until I saw Anne Baxter wearing one like it in the 1946 movie Angel on my Shoulder. Hers was perfectly placed in the vertical position on her dress at the base of its V-neckline. She even wore the matching earrings. The pin has a roll-over safety clasp, and the earrings are screw-backs. I’ve included a photo of the brooch in the horizontal position, so you can decide if you prefer it that way. A similar piece was shown in a 1945 wholesaler’s catalog. The page was entitled “New Pink Gold Finish on Sterling Silver — Styled by Master Craftsmen” (who were not named). The brooch was $28.50 retail, and the earrings were $13.50, or $42.00 for the set. (While I don’t have income statistics for the mid-1940s, to put these prices in perspective, the U.S. government reported that by 1950, the average American household’s weekly income was about $81.)