18 Karat Gold, Platinum and Diamond "Zip Chantilly" Necklace/Bracelet Combination, Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris, 1952

Composed of two flexible segments of gold foliate links, each link tipped by a round diamond, connected by a zipper pull with gold chain tassel fringe, total length approximately 16 inches, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, assay marks, numbered 65.859, back segment detaches, together with a bracelet clasp attachment. With leather envelope signed Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Some of the most innovative jewels made by Van Cleef & Arpels during the 40s and 50s actually had their beginnings at an earlier time. In the case of the “zip” necklace, the idea originated in 1939, when the Duchess of Windsor asked designer Renée Puissant, a daughter of Alfred Van Cleef, to make a clasp, known as an éclair, of platinum and baguette diamonds to be worn with her evening gowns. In 1951, owing to technical advancements, the “Collier Fermeture Éclair” was created. Highly flexible and constructed of gold decorated with diamonds or colored stones, it resembled a fanciful strip of fabric with a working zipper closure. A testament to the ingenuity of the design is that it easily converts to a stylish bracelet by removing a portion of the back of the necklace and closing the zipper.