RARE FIND – Vintage French Glamour.
This spectacular and chunky 1960s French vintage costume choker necklace is a showstopper from every angle! Expertly crafted in silvertone metal, the entire necklace is encrusted with sparkly clear foiled-back paste glass rhinestones, each cut in rounded brilliance and graduating in size for maximum drama
Every paste rhinestone is mounted in a scalloped bezel with multiple ornate prongs, giving the piece an almost floral lace-like texture. The workmanship is solid and detailed, with the back showing classic open-backed cup settings consistent with mid-century French atelier techniques.
The necklace’s centrepiece is composed of three bold floral clusters, each one bursting with radiant paste rhinestones like frozen fireworks. These three pendants cascade elegantly along the neckline, drawing all eyes to the décolletage.
The necklace is fitted with its original shepherd’s hook closure, stamped “Made in France.” Though unsigned by the designer, extensive research strongly suggests this is an early unsigned work by the highly sought-after French costume jewellery designer Cissy Zoltowska, whose signed pieces share the same intricate construction, pronged settings, and dramatic floral motifs. Many of her early creations went unsigned.
Comparable signed Zoltowska necklaces of this calibre routinely command $2,500 – $3,500 (R46,000 – R65,000) at international auctions and online platforms. This unsigned example remains no less impressive in scale, design, and craftsmanship—truly a jewel of the French vintage costume era.
A treasure for the serious collector, and a rare opportunity to own what is almost certainly an unsigned Cissy Zoltowska masterpiece.
Measurements : The necklace with a length of 37cm.Each of the flower pendants measure 3.5cm x 3.2cm.The larger rhinestones measure 1.1cm in diameter and smallest 6mm in diameter.The necklace with a weight of 62grams.
