During the 1930s, a common component of clothing that we often take for granted began appearing. The creation of the zipper was not only astronomical for the clothing industry, but also an integral feature to the creation of an icon of the French jewellery powerhouse, Van Cleef & Arpels. Throughout this time period, the Duchess of Windsor and Wallace Simpson, was fascinated by this novel creation and believed that the practical device could be recreated as captivating pieces of jewellery. While the initial thought of the Zip necklace began with the suggestion from the Duchess of Windsor, it took more than a decade to bring this innovative creation to fruition.

The path to creating this magnificent piece of jewellery was long and arduous; from the initial idea to the creation of a functioning gold and bejeweled zipper necklace took roughly 12 years. When the Zip necklace was finally introduced, the versatile jewellery captured the spirit of the 1950s by creating a consolidation between ‘Haute Couture’ and ‘Haute Joaillerie”. The icon that is the Zip necklace maintains its status as a testament to Van Cleef & Arpels’ innovation and technological ingenuity by the virtue of its ability to change form – from necklace to bracelet. The creation of the zipper allows for the jewellery to have multiple functions. Throughout the decade, only few Zip necklaces were made due to the difficulties in the process of creation.

Since its conception, the Zip necklace has remained one of the most special styles of jewellery in history, being worn by icons such as the Duchess of Windsor and by Margot Robbie at the 2015 Oscars, rendering it once more as a timeless innovation.

1930 年代，一個如今看來毫不起眼的服裝配件——拉鏈誕生了。它的發明不僅令服裝行業起了翻天覆地的變化，而且還成為法國珠寶巨頭梵克雅寶 （Van Cleef & Arpels）一款經典設計的靈感來源。溫莎公爵夫人華麗絲·辛普森對這項新穎的發明甚為著迷，並相信這個實用的小零件可以成為一款獨特迷人的首飾。梵克雅寶「Zip」項鏈的設計源自公爵夫人的奇想，但從構思到成果誕生，品牌經歷了逾十年的考驗。

創造這條項鏈的道路漫長而艱鉅——從構想到真正創造出一條黃金鑲寶石的拉鏈造型項鏈，梵克雅寶大約花了 12 年時間。這款造型多變的首飾融合高端定製服和高級珠寶的概念，體現 1950 年代的時尚精神。梵克雅寶「Zip 」項鏈可搖身一變成為手鏈，適應佩戴者的不同需要和造型，足證品牌卓越的創意精神和工藝技術。由於製作過程極為複雜，在五十年代面世的「Zip 」項鏈屈指可數。

自誕生以來，「Zip 」項鏈一直在芸芸珠寶首飾設計當中獨領風騷，溫莎公爵夫人亦曾經佩戴過它。在 2015 年奧斯卡頒獎典禮上，荷里活女星瑪格特·羅比亦讓我們再睹這個永恆不朽的創意經典。