dinh van · 1976

Menottes dinh van

Two gold half-rings that hook into each other like handcuffs, so the clasp becomes the whole jewel.

From €950on the dinh van site, October 2026

Introduced: 1976
Designer: Jean Dinh Van
Idea: The screw and the bolt, the knot and the link
School: Place Vendôme
Materials: yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, platinum, diamond, pearl, mother-of-pearl, onyx, steel, titanium, cord, other
Moves: opens

The story

Jean Dinh Van created Menottes in 1976, a year after his Serrure bangle. He traced the shape to a lock key turned over in his hand and made the closing part, usually hidden, the centre of the piece. It is worn on a cord, a chain, a string of pearls or as a ring, in sizes running from baby to man.

The ladder

Entry Bague chaîne Menottes dinh van, or jaune €950
Signature Bracelet sur cordon Menottes dinh van grand modèle, or jaune 18 carats €2,300
Top of line Collier de perles Menottes dinh van XL, or blanc, diamants et perles de Tahiti €20,950

Prices as published by dinh van in euros, October 2026.

Lineage

Answers · 1976
Serrure, dinh van (1975)
A year after the lock-clasp bangle, Jean Dinh Van let the fastening take over: two half-rings hooked like handcuffs.
Zip

Answers · 1976
Zip, Van Cleef & Arpels (1950)
A quarter century after the Zip turned a working fastener into a necklace, Menottes made the clasp the whole jewel.
Answered by · 2022
Tiffany Lock, Tiffany & Co. (2022)
Where Menottes hooked two half-rings like handcuffs, Tiffany Lock stretches a padlock shackle round the wrist.