This fabulous heavy vintage necklace dates to around the 1950s and is by sought after Milan based Italian designer, Giuliano Fratti, who produced pieces for Dior and Chanel and many other haute couture fashion houses. His pieces are hard to find and rarely come up for sale and we believe this piece to be museum quality. It has an ornate goldtone tongue and slot clasp decorated with tiny chaton cut Aurora Borealis crystals and is made up of five graduating strands of pale tan coloured faux pearls, larger mink faux pearls swirling toffee coloured Murano glass nugget shaped beads and large oval shaped textured silvery mink coloured glass beads. It's very chic, very rare and is bound to be admired when worn Apox 55cm Condition Report Good - in nice clean condition with no missing stones. Signed GM for Giuliano Fratti Milan Please see all photos Will be shipped tracked Giuliano Fratti entered the fashion world in the late 1930's, based in Milan producing buttons, belts and buckles. During the second world war the company switched to the production of fashion jewellery, but was curtailed when he was imprisoned in a German Prisoner of War Camp for 2 years. Fratti returned to his shop where he catered for the more conservative post war tastes. In the 1950's he imported jewellery prototypes from France where he adapted them for sale in chic department stores. In 1950 Fratti arrived in New York with a collection of his own creations inspired by his travels to exotic locations. In 1954 he worked for Dior at which time his signature style was gilded metal and glass beads. He was recognised and used by both the Couture Houses of Worth and Chanel and later by Pierre Cardin in the 1960's. These designs appeared in all the top Italian magazines.