Vintage Christian Dior unsigned 1950s couture chunky early plastic and lucite black and gold beaded triple strand bib necklace

Vintage unsigned Christian Dior necklace - a dramatic and unusual Victorian revival style of statement multi-strand necklace. The beads are chunky and weighty and made from a fairly early plastic. The black moulded beads are beautiful shapes and very tactile and smooth. The middle of the three strand at the front comprises moulded plastic beads with a coiled rope effect which have been coated or sprayed with gold. The two feature square beads on each side are stunning - the black plastic is inset with a swirling, gold organic design made to look like antique Victorian pique or gold leaf work on tortoiseshell or black lacquer. All the beads are strung on thick, almost copper tone chain with unusual links, perhaps a foxtail type, in a very French style.

As this piece is not signed, I have explained my reasoning for attributing it to Dior below. Collectors will have to make their own judgements of course, but I think it is most likely to have been a piece by Mitchel Maer for Dior. Having accidentally undersold an unsigned Maer for Dior rhinestone bib necklace with the classic Dior 'S' clasp in the past, I have now learned the signs to look out for!

An American based in England, Mitchel Maer made costume jewellery for Dior from 1952 – 1956. His pieces were informed by a Victorian aesthetic, often featuring a floral motif as is seen here in this necklace. His output was cut short in 1956 when his company went bankrupt. He held a fire sale to recoup some money, but Christian Dior insisted that the Dior name should be removed from the pieces before the sale. Therefore, for the savvy collector it is possible to find ‘unsigned’ Mitchel Maer for Dior pieces at bargain prices.

It can also be difficult to identify pieces by the French paruriers like Roger Jean-Pierre and Francis Winter as they weren’t signed. Pieces are sometimes stamped ‘Made in France', but collectors must rely on their familiarity with a designer’s work to attribute a piece. Particular findings were often used, such as the 'S' clasp used to fasten necklaces in the 1950s and 1960s - and this clasp is seen here in this necklace.

The necklace has a length around the neck following the shortest strand of about 19 inches. It fastens with the classic Dior 'S' clasp as mentioned before and is in very good vintage condition.