Van Cleef & Arpels’s Iconic Zip Necklace

Inspired by the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s penchant for putting zippers in her couture garments, the Duchess of Windsor supposedly asked Van Cleef creative director Renée Puissant to make her a zipper necklace.

The house obliged, but it was easier said than done. Though they patented the idea in 1938, it took until 1951 for the very first Zip necklace to grace the first sexy decollate.

Turns out that although it was a technical nightmare to replicate a plebian working zipper in precious metals and fine gemstones, Van Cleef wanted it to go up and down like a real zipper. The house eventually succeeded. However, it still takes up to 1200 hours to complete a single piece, which is why to this day very few are made.

About The Author

Debbie Azar is the Co-Founder and President of Gemological Science International (GSI), one of the largest gemological organizations in the world, and a distinguished leader in the global diamond and jewelry industry. As an executive with extensive knowledge of the jewelry and gem lab industries, her entrepreneurial skills and vision have helped GSI achieve rapid and continuous growth worldwide, establishing 13 leading-edge gemological facilities on four continents. She currently serves on the boards of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Responsible Jewellery Council, and Jewelers for Children, and is a member of the 24 Karat Club of New York. She has been featured in Forbes, Daily Mail, Good Morning America, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fox Business, Fox5, CBS2, BOLDTV, Varney&Co, The Street, and NASDAQ, among others.