Vintage 1950s French Winged Cat Eye Sunglasses Rhinestone France Yellow Lens 

Vintage 1950s French Winged Cat Eye Sunglasses Rhinestone France Yellow Lens 

Detailed / Itemised Information
Era / Style: Vintage 1950s Avant-Garde Exaggerated Cat-Eye Frames.
Country of Origin: Handmade in France (Authentic "France" script mark stamped on the inner temple arm).
Frame Architecture: Dramatic multi-layered 3D "feathered wing" design sweeping upward at the temples.
Material Construction: Translucent smoky-olive and black cellulose acetate with visible internal reinforced metal wire cores.
Decorative Embellishments: Tiered, prong-set Aurora Borealis (AB) iridescent rhinestones accented by silver metallic micro-studs along the wing valleys.
Lenses: Canary yellow non-prescription fashion lenses.
Measurements: See photos 23/24

Handmade in the historic eyewear hub of Oyonnax, France, these extreme sculptural pieces are masterpieces of mid-century fashion engineering. However, early cellulose acetate formulas naturally shrink, become brittle, and crack as plasticizers degrade over a 70-year timeline. When copper-alloy hardware within the frame oxidizes, it creates "green-line disease" or verdigris, which exerts internal pressure on the fragile plastic. These remain highly collectible as visual design references for collectors who display vintage eyewear on mannequins or within shadowboxes.

Condition

Structural Fractures (Critical Faults): 

The frames exhibit significant material fatigue and stress cracking consistent with aged acetate. There is a complete, clean fracture passing entirely through the upper section of one of the temple arm tips. Additionally, fine stress-fracture lines and distinct structural splits are visible near the hinge junctions where the temple arms connect to the main frame fronts.
Hinges & Hardware:

The original metal hinges show heavy green verdigris oxidisation and corrosion. This crusting has caused the metal to expand slightly within the plastic pin housings.
Rhinestones & Inlays:

The stones show typical age-related darkening and foil deterioration. There are visible patches of green verdigris corrosion crust and dark adhesive degradation blooming within the lower rhinestone channels and metal micro-stud settings.
Wearability Note:

Due to chemical drying and brittleness over the decades, these frames are sold strictly as fragile display curiosities or archive pieces. They are not structurally sound enough to be safely worn or adjusted without professional stabilizing repair.

This is an exceptionally rare, museum-tier piece of 1950s French optical art. While simpler, flat vintage cat-eyes are common, this specific 3D multi-layered "feathered" design is virtually impossible to find. Fully itemized structural flaws are detailed below for absolute transparency; this item is priced and sold strictly as a fragile, non-wearable archive display piece for serious collectors, prop departments, or fashion museums.