The 'Zip' necklace was first unveiled by Van Cleef & Arpels at the beginning of the 1950s; its pioneering design becoming an immediate success. Never before had it been possible to create such a jewel; entirely gem-set and yet with a movable zip mechanism. It had taken many years since the concept had first been imagined by Renée Puissant in the 1930s for the firm to be able to produce such an extraordinary feat of miniature engineering and skill. The house has continued to produce these jewels ever since, the aforementioned necklace being a unique example from a recent special Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewellery collection.