After attending secondary school in Dresden, Zippe studied philosophy at the Prague University from 1807 to 1809.

While still a student, he attended lectures of the chemist Karl August Neumann (1771-1866) and Josef Johann Steinmann (1779-1833), a professor of general chemistry at the Polytechnic Academy in Prague.

Starting in 1819 Zippe taught mineralogy, first as an adjunct, and beginning in 1822 as an assistant professor at the Polytechnic.

In November 1824, Zippe was placed in charge of the mineralogical department of the museum, which position he held until 1842.

During this period, he enriched the museum with numerous mineral specimens from his frequent collecting trips which included mining sites in the mountains of the Giant Mountains, Isergebirge (Jizera) and Altvatergebirge (Hrubý Jeseníky).