Zip necklace by VCA

vca_zipper_60000“Sous le marteau” came one of Van Cleef & Arpels most iconic necklace. The Zip necklace. It saw the light in 1951 after many years of innovation. It was the Duchess of  Windsor who came with the idea to design a piece of zipper jewelry. The Zip necklace has a small device that is used to zip and unzip the necklace. Open it was worn as a necklace and closed as a bracelet. According to the auction house Leclere a few rubies were replaced by diamonds and the necklace needs to be revised. Although when I asked about it, the expert could still unzip the necklace. A truly beautiful piece of jewelry. VCA made several models in diamonds and in colored stones. Only a few came to auction in the last 60 years. Oh and the hammer price? 66.000,- euros.

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About Lara

I grew up as the daughter of an antique dealer of Dutch jewelry and silver. From the age of 18 I went to auctions for my mom, as she did not had the time to go there herself. In those days there was no such thing as online auctions. In my mid-twenties I thought for a brief moment of taking over the business of my mother, but I had other plans. Chateau I wanted to live and work abroad and own a chateau. Only after finding my husband I did so and for 10 years long I changed an 18th century old and torn down Burgundy castle into a holiday rental business. Back to my roots In 2009 I started dealing in French antique jewelry at my chateau and I went back to school to learn more about precious stones. I followed the online courses at GIA (Gemmological Institute of America) and I took all the lab classes in London and in Carlsbad, California. I worked for a short period for a jewelry retailer in the Caribbean, but I had no feeling with the brand new products that I sold. Even brands as De Beers Forever Mark and Harts on Fire could not exhilarated me. Maybe this is because I saw so many beautiful pieces in France, or maybe because I just love old stones in all senses of the word. That soft patina that comes with the years and is undeniable beautiful to my eyes. As the French locals called me La Chatelaine, which I’m still today, I thought it is an appropriate name for my web boutique. La chatelaine means Lady of the Manor or Key holder. Enjoy! Lara Lunow GIA GG