Extraordinary ordinary

Of humble and practical origins, the zipper is reinvented in 1938 and realized in 1950 by Van Cleef & Arpels with creative audacity. Renée Puissant, daughter of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef and artistic director, transformed the ordinary zipper into an astonishing and exceptional piece of jewelry. While Elsa Schiaparelli adorned her dresses with striking zippers, the jeweler perfected the encounter between ordinary and extraordinary with the Zip necklace. The Maison transformed this zipper, usually used for suits, into a piece of jewelry. While Elsa Schiaparelli adorned her dresses with striking zippers, the jeweler perfected the encounter between ordinary and extraordinary with the Zip necklace.