French Favorites: Françoise Montague

We hear a lot about obsessions these days, whether it’s through advertising or influencers doing what it is they do on social media. I’m not much into the idea of influencing because it seems to encourage imitation over originality. What I don’t mind is inspiring people to expand their viewpoint a bit and learn about jewelry they might not discover if I don’t mention it. If that helps them create a unique sense of style so they can look and feel superb, huzzah!

Now, I’m not saying you can’t look great without a single bauble or bangle adorning your ensemble. Sometimes a remarkable outfit is everything. But in most instances, the right jewelry elevates a look from good to great. One brand I personally reach for repeatedly to up my accessorizing game is a French favorite: Françoise Montague.

I discovered these superbly crafted pieces when one of my friends owned an upscale boutique in the early 2000s. Since then, I’ve snagged a few additional Françoise Montague pieces for my jewelry wardrobe in addition to learning more about this business with a lifespan much longer than I’d first realized.

Françoise Montague became enamored with costume jewelry by making adornments for her sisters. She then studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs and gained experience making hats before moving wholeheartedly into the world of the parurier, a workshop making jewelry for couture houses.

The business that became Françoise Montague was founded in 1945 by Montague’s mother as the De Saurma jewelry workshop. Montague was the name of her first husband, who perished as a French Resistance hero during World War II, and she changed the business’s name in his honor. With a global clientele and a Parisian boutique already established, Montague’s most valuable clients were Franck & Fils and Nina Ricci, according to Costume Jewelry for Haute Couture by Florence Muller. The relationship with Nina Ricci lasted a decade, as a matter of fact.

Montague experimented with many different styles over the years. Pieces in the ‘50s and ‘60s were constructed with handmade glass beads in a rainbow of colors, clear glass discs, linked gold-plated findings with embossing, and dangling chains in both silver- and gold-tone finishes. She also experimented with materials like raffia in the ‘60s and metals combined with Swarovski rhinestones in geometric designs in the ‘70s.

When Montague retired in 1978, a 21-year-old woman named Marion Stern took the reins of the business. She’d learned the jewelry trade via her parents, who held licenses to produce Givenchy and Nina Ricci jewelry in the mid-1970s. Stern jumped into the business and quickly picked up jewelry-making skills from the employees at Françoise Montague. Stern also looked for opportunities to expand the business and developed boutique relationships around the world rather than focusing on making jewelry for the couture houses.

Although the business faltered in the early 1990s as jewelry tastes changed, Stern kept two employees and eventually found a spot in Paris where the business could thrive. In 1998, she established the Françoise Montague boutique at 231 rue Saint-Honoré with the firm’s workshop located upstairs. She began selling jewelry created by her employees, along with select pieces from other artisans and some vintage jewelry, including her favorites from Chanel, Line Vautrin, and others.

The jewelry being made in the workshop evolved, but with an eye for the past, since some of the styles did indeed include elements found in much older Françoise Montague designs, such as examples with numerous dangling chains. Others were unique best sellers, like the teardrop double-hoop Lolita earrings, which have been popular with consumers since the early 2000s.

A point of pride for Françoise Montague is ownership by women, and now Rebecca Mamou-Stern has stepped in during the 2020s to continue the brand’s legacy. Looking to the future, she developed a website featuring all the newest creations being skillfully crafted above the boutique in Paris, along with some of the vintage selections being offered for sale.

One of the difficult things about amassing a collection of Françoise Montague, including pieces from the ‘50s and ‘60s, is that the early styles produced for the couture houses were not marked. Some of them are noteworthy bib and collar necklaces, but there are very few references showing photos of them beyond those depicted in Muller’s book. For that reason, most don’t get sold as Françoise Montague when they very occasionally come on the market.

Even during the 1980s and ‘90s, not everything was marked, but some pieces do have F.M. stamped in block letters on the clasp or somewhere on the back. Even when they are not marked, they are high in quality and can exhibit some characteristics of French origin. For instance, some of the clip backs used in the Françoise Montague workshop are shaped like those found on Chanel earrings made during that era. That’s not an end-all identifier, however, because other French jewelry makers used those as well. If you see bead cluster earrings with red, white, and blue hang tags reading “Fabriqué en France,” Stern in fact confirmed years ago that those were not produced at the Françoise Montague workshop.

In a nutshell, it can be hard to peg jewelry made prior to the early 2000s as Françoise Montague. Don’t give up, though, because the company has been producing beautifully constructed styles that are more recognizable since then. Even though some of those were sold only with plastic hang tags, others are indeed marked FM Paris (with FM in script), and some things, like hair combs, have been marked Françoise Montague in full. Some of the materials and designs are distinctive.

The firm’s Lolita double hoop earrings, as one example, can be found both marked and unmarked, and they’ve been made in a host of colors in at least two different sizes. Metal chains and tassels combined with rhinestone rondelles have also been used in quite a few designs. Furthermore, rhinestone rondelles are a telltale sign that a piece may be Françoise Montague, whether they’re used in varying sizes on their own or interspersed between beads on a collar or bracelet.

It’s also the jewelry lover’s good fortune that Françoise Montague is currently producing some pieces that rival vintage poured glass designs marketed in the past by Chanel. In my opinion, these are worth the investment, especially if you have the chance to buy them in Paris. It’s also worth the time to study this brand further because with some diligence and a hint of luck, you’ll indeed discover some great styles offering lots of high-quality bang for your accessorizing buck.

Pamela Wiggins Siegel has been buying, selling, and collecting costume jewelry for more than 30 years. She is the author of Warman’s Costume Jewelry (Krause Publications) and the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l, an organization dedicated to hosting events and providing educational resources for collectors. Visit her online at www.chicantiques.com and www.cjci.co.

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