Suzanne Belperron

Madeleine Suzanne Marie Claire Vuillerme, daughter of merchant Jules Alix Vuillerme (1861–1913) and Marie Clarisse Faustine Bailly-Maître (1866–1931), was born 26 September 1900[https://www.hancocks-london.com/maker/belperron%2C-suzanne/ Hancocks London, Suzanne Belperron] in the town of Saint-Claude, in Jura Mountains (eastern France), 60 kilometres from Geneva (Switzerland).

To fill the long winter months, the inhabitants of the Jura region had developed over the centuries a wide array of traditional crafts, including the art of cutting stones.{{cite book|last=Colin |first=Thérèse |title=Industries in Saint-Claude |publisher=Les Études rhodaniennes |year=1937 |url=http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/geoca_1164-6268_1937_num_13_3_6529?_Prescripts_Search_tabs1=standard& |page=196 |doi=10.3406/geoca.1937.6529 |access-date=29 April 2012|language=fr }} The town of Saint-Claude was also, between 1885 and 1929, one of the most important world centers of diamond cutting.{{cite book|last=Bauer |first=Max |title=Precious Stones, Vol. 1 |publisher=Dover Publications |year=1968 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Fp0_p0ArYAC&pg=PA244 |page=244 |isbn= 978-0486219103 |access-date=29 April 2012}}

Aware of Belperron's talent as a designer, her mother encouraged her{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=20|year=2011}} by enrolling her in the School of Fine Arts in the town of Besançon. This public school was created in 1773 by the Swiss painter Melchior Wirsch and the French sculptor Luc Breton.

Belperron won first prize in the "Decorative Art" annual competition of 1918, with a pendant-watch.{{cite book|last1=Raulet |last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=8|year=2011|postscript=Class results of the School of Fine Arts, Besançon, 1918; Reproduced in the book}} That prize was the reward for her years of study in "Watch-making and Jewelry Decoration".

In March 1919, soon after her move to Paris at the beginning of the "Golden Twenties", Belperron was taken on as a modelist-designer by Jeanne Boivin, the widow of René Boivin.{{cite book|last1=Raulet |last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=8|year=2011|postscript=Certificate of employment of Maison René Boivin addressed to Suzanne Belperron, reproduced in the book}} The French jewellery house Boivin, created in 1890, had lost its founder in 1917, who was a talented designer.

From 1920 the collections of the Maison René Boivin featured many jewels inspired by Belperron's sketches from 1917,{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=8|year=2011}} when she was still a student at the School of Fine Arts. At the time, these large curvaceous jewels went against the dominant Art Deco style, with its refined, geometric and structured jewels.

Jeanne Boivin, who always considered Belperron "a bit like her own child",{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=9|year=2011|postscript=Letter from Mrs. Jeanne Boivin of 2 November 1923, reproduced in the book}} recognised that she played "a major role in the artistic life of the Maison René Boivin". Without children, Belperron dedicated herself to advancing the creative cachet and international reputation of the jewellery house. In 1924, she became, at 23 years old, co-director of the Boivin jewellery house.

Suzanne married Jean Belperron,{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=16|year=2011}} an engineer, who had been born on 18 February 1898 in Dole, also in the Jura region. The civil ceremony took place in the town hall at Besançon on 11 July 1924. The couple moved to 49 Rue Lamarck in the Montmartre area of Paris. In the studio of the Expressionist painter Gen Paul in Montmartre, Belperron met the writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, the actors Robert Le Vigan and Arletty, and the playwright René Fauchois.

At Boivin, Belperron made a name for herself with designs that set precious stones in semi-precious materials like chalcedony, rock crystal, and smoky quartz.Lankarani, Nazanin. "Special Report: A Cut Above: Jewelry; An Unsigned Iconoclast of 20th-Century Design." The New York Times. 11 December 2010.

Belperron might have begun to feel bored and frustrated{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=32|year=2011}} that the original designs for Boivin's creations were not attributed to her. This was not exceptional – jewellers over many decades had insisted on the anonymity of their designer-creators, no matter how talented they were.

In February 1932, Belperron resigned her position with Maison René Boivin. She was replaced by Juliette Moutard in January 1933 (who previously worked for the manufacturer of luxury watches Verger Frères) and Germaine Boivin, the daughter of Jeanne and René Boivin (who was previously a designer for her uncle the fashion designer Paul Poiret).{{cite book|language=fr|first1=Française|last1=Cailles|title=René Boivin Jeweller |publisher=Éditions de l'Amateur|date=11 October 1994|pages=399|isbn=978-2859171742}}

In April 1932, Belperron accepted the offer of Bernard Herz to take up a central position in his company.{{Cite web |url=http://www.macklowegallery.com/education.asp/art+nouveau/Artist+Biographies/antiques/Jewelry+Artists/education/Suzanne+Belperron/id/137 |title=Macklowe Gallery, Suzanne Belperron |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-date=26 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226201344/http://www.macklowegallery.com/education.asp/art+nouveau/Artist+Biographies/antiques/Jewelry+Artists/education/Suzanne+Belperron/id/137 |url-status=dead }} Bernard Herz, a renowned Parisian dealer in pearls and precious stones, was one of René Boivin's favourite suppliers. Herz gave her the freedom to design her own models under the name of Herz. Based in her private salon at 59 rue de Châteaudun in Paris, Belperron secured the services of the stonecutter Adrien Louart (1890–1989) and appointed Groëné et Darde as her exclusive manufacturer.

During the 1930s, the originality of Belperron's works brought increasing international acclaim to the Maison Bernard Herz. Belperron's fame grew, and she became a major figure in the artistic world both in France and abroad.[https://www.primaveragallery.com/artist/suzanne-belperron/ Primavera Gallery, Suzann Belperron] Almost every month,See the Press chapter her creations appeared{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=36|year=2011}} alongside those of jewellers such as Cartier, Boucheron or Van Cleef & Arpels in luxury fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, with the regular collaboration of well-known photographers, notably George Hoyningen-Huene and Horst P. Horst.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=100|year=2011}} A close friend, Diana Vreeland (1903–1989), a major figure in the history of twentieth-century fashion adored Belperron's style.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=8, p.109 "Diana Vreeland was a close friend of Suzanne Belperron", p.110 "she adored Suzanne Belperron's style.", p. 280 "From the world of fashion, the names which appear in her notebooks include her friend Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, Nina Ricci, and Jeanne Lanvin."}}

New York jeweller Paul Flato approached her{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=47|year=2011}} in July 1939 to propose an artistic collaboration, declined by Belperron.

As an unrivalled colourist,{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=223}} the essence of Belperron's work was her ability to play with aesthetic influences from many sources and motifs inspired by nature.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=198}} Belperron was fascinated by the arts and the distant cultures of Egypt, East India, (the Assyrian civilisation in particular), the Far East (China, Japan), Africa and Oceania. She found inspiration in nature's flora{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=240}} and fauna, from creatures like starfish and insects to minutiae of a garden's flower petals and leaves.Fase, Marion and Penny Proddow. "Four Designing Women." Art & Antiques Magazine. October 1993 Belperron was also captivated by the underwater world, fascinated by the splendour of its shapes and the combinations of its colours.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=251}}

Trained at the height of the Art Deco movement, Belperron softened its linear aesthetic, using materials and designs other jewellers had not yet explored.Gessner, Liz. "The Rebirth of a Genius." W Magazine. 11–18 May 1992 She pioneered the technique of setting precious stones in semiprecious materials. In addition to adapting these motifs in a unique way, she also opted for 22 karat gold, a softer karat level than commonly used, purely for its color. One of the techniques Belperron used is the "Honeycomb Setting", in which she combined gemstones of different sizes to achieve a harmony of colors and a impacting visual effect. The stones were supported by a hexagonal web of fine gold wires.{{Cite web |title=Legendary Women Who Revolutionized Jewelry Design |url=https://dsfantiquejewelry.com/blogs/journal/legendary-women-who-revolutionized-jewelry-design?_pos=1&_sid=968eb7d86&_ss=r |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=DSF Antique Jewelry |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Belperron Suzanne {{!}} Werkstätten {{!}} ERNST FÄRBER |url=https://www.ernstfaerber.com/workshop/belperron-suzanne/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-01-19 |language=en}}

Her jewellery was so original that she never signed her pieces, instead insisting "my style is my signature". And only the jewels delivered by the hand of Belperron in her salon in the rue de Châteaudun, jewels that passed before her own eyes, can lay claim to the famous quote.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=130}} She was convinced that the originality of her jewellery made it easily identifiable and that there was therefore no need for it to be signed. It was a principle from which she never wavered, yet it does not make the task of art historians or jewellery experts easy, as it can sometimes be very difficult to attribute a piece of jewellery to a designer solely on the basis of a characteristic style.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|year=2011|page=62}} It is estimated that Belperron only made between 3,000 and 5,000 jewels in her lifetime.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-20 |title=Suzanne Belperron: Behind the Jeweler {{!}} FORTUNA® |url=https://www.fortunaauction.com/suzanne-belperron/ |access-date=2025-01-19 |language=en-US}}

Bernard Herz was of Jewish origin. During the Occupation of Paris he was interrogated more than once. On one occasion, Belperron managed to save him from the Gestapo{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=48|year=2011}} thanks to her friend Rika Radifé (wife of the actor Harry Baur).

Because of the discriminatory "Law on the status of Jews" legislation, copied from Nazi laws and passed in October 1940 by the Vichy Regime, Belperron took full control of the Maison Bernard Herz (from November 1940) to ensure the company's survival. As requested by Bernard Herz following his first arrest in 1941, Belperron recorded a new limited company,{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=49|year=2011}} called "Suzanne Belperron SARL", on the Companies Register, with a capital of 700,000 francs. She had one associate, Henri Guiberteau. His friend Marcel Coard helped her and lent her the funds needed for the transaction.

Knowing that the future of the business rested solely on her shoulders, Belperron never stopped working during the war, despite the difficulties she experienced in obtaining the materials for making the jewels.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=50|year=2011}}

On 2 November 1942, Belperron was arrested at her office, due to a letter of denunciation indicating that "the Belperron house dissimulates a Jewish business". During her transfer to the Gestapo headquarters in Avenue Foch in Paris, Belperron swallowed all the pages of his address book, one by one. Bernard Herz was arrested the same day at his home and also underwent interrogation by the Gestapo. He was then driven straight to Drancy internment camp, where he stayed until 2 September 1943,{{Cite web|url=http://bdi.memorialdelashoah.org/internet/jsp/core/MmsRedirector.jsp?id=21728&type=VICTIM|title=Shoah Memorial – Wall of names – Bernard Herz|work=memorialdelashoah.org|access-date=29 April 2012|archive-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916010734/http://bdi.memorialdelashoah.org/internet/jsp/core/MmsRedirector.jsp?id=21728&type=VICTIM|url-status=dead}} when he was deported by the convoy n°59 to a concentration camp, Auschwitz, in Poland.

Belperron was harassed by the Gestapo and was ordered to supply them with official documents about the origin and religion of her family.

During the hostilities, Belperron also joined the Resistance.

She was approached by several American companies with offers to design jewellery in America, but she chose to remain in Paris.{{Cite web|url=http://www.macklowegallery.com/education.asp/art+nouveau/Artist+Biographies/antiques/Jewelry+Artists/education/Suzanne+Belperron/id/137|title=Macklowegallery|access-date=5 April 2012|archive-date=26 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226201344/http://www.macklowegallery.com/education.asp/art+nouveau/Artist+Biographies/antiques/Jewelry+Artists/education/Suzanne+Belperron/id/137|url-status=dead}}

In a last letter, dated 21 February 1943, sent from the Drancy internment camp, Bernard Herz entrusted his affairs to Belperron, along with his will, and asked her to protect the interests of Aline and Jean, his children.

On 6 December 1946, Jean Herz, son of Bernard, returned to Paris after a period of captivity as war prisoner. In fulfilment of his father's last wishes, Jean took on half-ownership of a new company called "Jean Herz-Suzanne Belperron SARL".

At the start of 1945, Belperron moved from her Montmartre flat to 14 rue d'Aumale in Paris, a short distance from the reception rooms of the Herz-Belperron jewellery house. Her vast flat was on a raised level of a neo-classical building, with a Far Eastern ambience harmoniously blended with a classical aesthetic style. The internal design of all the rooms was entrusted to Belperron's close friend Marcel Coard, whom she also commissioned for the decoration of the reception rooms at the rue de Châteaudun.

The younger Herz and Belperron resumed the partnership, working successfully together for the next 30 years.Possémé, Evelyn. Bijoux Art Deco et Avant Garde. Norma, 2009. {{ISBN|978-2-915542-20-2}}.

Belperron received her clientele exclusively by appointment{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=86|year=2011}} in salons situated on the third floor of 59, rue de Châteaudun in Paris. She never felt the urge to set up a boutique, so convinced was she that her pieces of jewellery themselves were her best ambassadors. Her address was only ever given out discreetly, by word of mouth, to chosen clients who had been attracted by the originality of her works, thus ensuring her increasing renown both in France and all over the world.

As a matter of utmost importance before carrying out any order, Belperron always found out about her client's lifestyle, and also studied the contours of her face, the complexion of her skin and the shape of her hands. Similarly, she took care to take the finger, wrist or neck measurements precisely, as an haute couture dressmaker. If necessary she would also have several 'fittings' before delivering the 'made-to-measure' ring to her client, to insure that each creation would suit the customer perfectly.

Like a workshop foreman, she kept a strict eye on the completion of each stage of manufacture, anxious that it should

be perfect and that nothing should be left to chance. To this end, she set up a daily meeting at the salons in the rue de Châteaudun with the head of the workshop.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=66|year=2011}}

Belperron's clientele included most of Europe's royalty and aristocrats as the dynasties of the Aga Khan, Rothschild, Wildenstein and Duke of Windsor. She also attracted clients from the worlds of arts and show business, (actors, comedians, playwrights, dancers and singers), such as Colette, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Ganna Walska, María Félix, Arno Breker, Josephine Baker, Raoul Dufy, Daisy Fellowes, Alice Cocéa, Merle Oberon, Françoise Rosay, Mary Bell, Charles Boyer, Harry Baur, Louise de Vilmorin, Jean Cocteau and Gary Cooper. From the world of fashion, the names include notably her friends Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Jeanne Lanvin. The world of politics included names such as Paul Reynaud, Léon Blum, Maurice Couve de Murville, Gaston Palewski and Houphouët-Boigny.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=280|year=2011}}

On 12 July 1963, Belperron was elevated{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=17|year=2011|postscript=Certificate of Knight of the Légion d'Honneur reproduced in the book}} to the rank of Knight of the Légion d'Honneur. The Cross was presented to her by her great friend Jean Marchat, member of the Resistance during World War II, Légion d'Honneur and Secretary of the Comédie-Française.

Four years after the death of her husband in June 1970, Belperron and her associate Jean Herz agreed, at the general meeting held on 28 June 1974, to amicably dissolve their company.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=54|year=2011}} The Herz-Belperron company was liquidated on 31 December 1975. But this decision did not signify the end of her professional work. Whether in France or abroad, loyal clients had forged great bonds of friendship and trust with her over many years. They continued to call on her services, so she valued their jewels for the purposes of inheritance, insurance or gifts to museums. However, Belperron refused all proposals for collaboration (including Tiffany & Co){{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=13|year=2011}} to re-edit her jewellery collection.

Belperron died in an accident in her bath (scalding herself) on 28 Mar 1983 at the age of 82. Childless, she bequeathed her property to a close friend.

Despite the popularity of her designs in her own time, Belperron's name was largely forgotten until the prestigious jewellery auction in Geneva on 2 and 3 April 1987 by Sotheby's of the Duchess of Windsor's collection of jewels and precious objects. During this auction, only five out of 16 Belperron pieces were correctly catalogued.Volandes, Stellene. "Battle Over Belperron." Town & Country Magazine, January 2012.

Brought to the fore by the sale of the jewels belonging to the Duchess of Windsor, Belperron's work was finally recognised and highly valued. The "Société Nouvelle Herz-Belperron", at 10, Rue Vivienne in Paris, was founded in June 1991 and had only one exclusive American client,{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=10|year=2011}} a jeweller based in New York,{{cite web | last = Joan Duncan Oliver | title = The rage for the real | work = The New York Times | date = 28 August 1994 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/28/magazine/the-rage-for-the-real.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | access-date = 1 May 2012}} who ordered re-editions (hence modern jewels) from the Société Nouvelle Herz-Belperron.

The Société Nouvelle Herz-Belperron was liquidated on 28 December 1998, following a 'transfer of shares of the shareholders'.

Image:Suzanne Belperron - Personal archives.jpg

In 2007 the residuary legatee of Belperron died. By line of succession, the new residuary legatee became the owner of the estate, including her archives.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin|title=Suzanne Belperron|page=6|year=2011}}

It was rumoured that Belperron had burned her archives, but this was just a myth. The new residuary legatee discovered, at the foot of Montmartre, a small apartment whose doors remained closed since 1983. This apartment contained Belperron's furniture, library, and her complete archives: a vast collection of drawings, sketches, models, casts, sketches, business correspondence, daily diaries and appointment orders from 1937 to 1974, photos, and press articles countersigned. This discovery is crucial to ensure the authenticity, traceability, and provenance of her works, which cannot be done from only simple drawings.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/sothebys/PDFs/76FAUBOURG_JANFEB2012.pdf|title=Sotheby's magazine – Personal jewelry of Mrs. Belperron|date=January–February 2012|work=sothebys.com|language=fr}}

Belperron's heir honoured the will of the artist, the confidentiality of her archives, and the respect of her clients until his death.{{cite book|last1=Raulet|last2=Baroin |title=Suzanne Belperron|page=348|year=2011}}{{cite web |title=The Rebirth Of Belperron Jewelry |website=Forbes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124220733/https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2015/10/10/the-rebirth-of-belperron-jewelry/ |archive-date=24 November 2018 |url-status=live |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2015/10/10/the-rebirth-of-belperron-jewelry/}}

These archives reveal that many things which have been written about Belperron, a private and very discreet woman, are without foundation. Furthermore, Belperron's archives confirm that there was a plan for an art book devoted to her work. Hans Nadelhoffer (1940–1988), an expert from Christie's jewellery department in Geneva, known for its reference monograph devoted to Cartier, planned, in 1981, a book about Belperron's work. Seduced by this project, she began to gather all her archives before she died.

In 2008, fascinated by art, the new heir asked a writer specialising in antique jewellery, Sylvie Raulet, and a French expert in jewellery, Olivier Baroin, to continue the draft monograph reference project started by Hans Nadelhoffer. The French expert acquired (on 1 October 2008 at Versailles) a registered contract for Belperron's complete archives, and was mandated by the last residual legatee to ensure in perpetuity "the future of the expertise of the complete work created by Suzanne Belperron", including authentication and certification. He manages, with the support from the heirs, the catalogue raisonné of the jewellery designer.

Belperron jewellery{{Cite web|url=http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/francais/arts-decoratifs/expositions-23/archives-25/bijoux-art-deco-et-avant-garde-456/|title=Museum of Arts Décoratifs in Paris – Exhibition 2009 – Art Deco and Avant-Garde Jewelry|date=19 March 2009 |work=lesartsdecoratifs.fr}} has kept its value well, as evidenced by two record sales in Paris with a cornucopia brooch of emeralds and diamonds sold for $674,999 in 2010{{Cite web|url=http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/LotDetailsPrintable.aspx?intObjectID=5319847|title=Auction of a cornucopia brooch |date=19 May 2010|publisher=Christie's}} and a tourmaline, emerald, peridot, beryl, coloured sapphire and gold bracelet sold for $330,895 in 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5516454|title=Auction of a tourmaline, emerald, peridot, beryl, coloured sapphire and gold bracelet|date=24 November 2011|publisher=Christie's}}

Early in 2012, Karl Lagerfeld, a collector of her work since 1960,{{Cite news| first=Laurence |last=Mouillefarine |title=Les trésors de Suzanne Belperron|newspaper=AD / Architectural Digest France n°180 |date=April 2012}}{{Cite web|first=Dominique |last=Paulvé |url=https://www.vanityfair.fr/mode/articles/lhistoire-aux-mille-rebondissements-de-la-maison-belperron/25420|title=Belperron : un nom qui vaut de l'or|date=9 June 2015 |publisher=Vanity Fair|issn=2268-0659|language=fr|work=vanityfair.fr}} chose one of her jewels in chalcedony to give the tone of the Chanel spring-summer collection.{{Cite web|url=http://www.francetv.fr/culturebox/rendez-vous-dans-les-ateliers-du-brodeur-montex-avant-le-defile-chanel-77805|title=Visit the workshops of the embroiderer before the Chanel show|date=24 January 2012|work=FranceTV.fr|language=fr}} In May, he photographed and unveiled his own collection of Suzanne Belperron's jewelry. Having fallen in love with this artist "when no one else was paying attention to her",{{Cite web |date=2019-02-19 |title=Souvenirs, secrets de style, inspirations... L'interview mode de Karl Lagerfeld pour Vogue Paris |url=https://www.vogue.fr/mode/article/l-interview-mode-de-karl-lagerfeld-pour-vogue-paris |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Vogue France |language=fr-FR}} saying: "A Belperron jewel is instantly recognizable. It's a spirit".{{Cite web |last=Juncker |first=Capucine |date=2018-12-23 |title=Suzanne Belperron, histoire d'une consécration. Entretien avec Olivier Baroin. |url=https://propertyofalady.fr/2018/12/23/https-propertyofalady-fr-2018-12-23-suzanne-belperron-histoire-dune-consecration/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=PROPERTY OF A LADY |language=fr-FR}}

"Suzanne Belperron is the most talented and influential jewelry designer of the 20th century": these were the words with which David Bennett, now Global Chairman of the International Jewellery Division of Sotheby's, opened the landmark sale on May 14, 2012, in Geneva.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sothebys.com/fr/auctions/2012/jewels-from-the-personal-collection-of-suzanne-belperron/overview.html|title=Sotheby's – Sotheby's – Jewels from the Personal Collection of Suzanne Belperron|date=14 May 2012|publisher=Sotheby's}} This sale showcased the jewelry from Suzanne Belperron's private collection, originating from her personal jewel box discovered during her estate settlement in 2007. The 60 lots sold for a total price three times higher than originally estimated.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2013/01/30/sothebys-2012-jewelry-sales-fetched-460-5-million/|title=Sotheby's 2012 Jewelry Sales|date=30 January 2013|work=Forbes}}

In September, the chalcedony and sapphire set, crafted by Suzanne Belperron for the Duchess of Windsor in 1935, was showcased by the Siegelson house at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris.{{Cite web |date=2012-09-14 |title=Karl Lagerfeld scénographie la Biennale des antiquaires |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/informations/karl-lagerfeld-scenographie-la-biennale-des-antiquaires_1161178.html |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=L'Express |language=fr}}

The New York Times, in an article titled "Modern, Before the World Was," dedicated to Suzanne Belperron in its December 20, 2012 edition, notes that the designer had a major influence on modern jewelry, just as Coco Chanel did on haute couture. It also points out that her genius lay, in part, in her pioneering use of natural stones or pearls that were seldom used during that time.{{Cite news |last=Horyn |first=Cathy |date=2012-12-19 |title=Modern, Before the World Was |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/fashion/the-legacy-of-suzanne-belperron-jeweler.html |access-date=2023-08-19 |issn=0362-4331}}

In May 2013, the sale of jewelry designed by Suzanne Belperron for her friend Cécyle Simon was held in Geneva.{{Cite web |date=2012-12-19 |language=en-US |title=Magnificent jewels and noble jewels|url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2013/magnificent-jewels-and-noble-jewels-ge1302.html |access-date=2023-08-19}}{{Cite web |title=Sotheby's collection of jewels designed by suzanne belperron for cecyle simon, geneva, 5/13/13 - Auction Catalogs |url=https://auctioncatalogs.com/product/sothebys-collection-of-jewels-designed-by-suzanne-belperron-for-cecyle-simon-geneva-51313/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=en}}

The gallery "La Golconde," named after the famous Indian mine that produced the stones beloved by Suzanne Belperron, opened in September 2014 at Place de la Madeleine in Paris.{{Cite web |last=firstluxe |date=2014-09-11 |title=Suzanne Belperron (1900-1983) by la Golconde |url=https://www.firstluxemag.com/suzanne-belperron-1900-1983-by-la-golconde/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=FIRSTLUXE |language=fr-FR}} This venue, dedicated to the designer, houses her archives and jewelry assembled by the jeweler and gemologist Olivier Baroin.{{Cite web |title=BAROIN Olivier – Union Française des Experts en objets d'art |url=https://ufe-experts.fr/experts/olivier-baroin/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |language=fr-FR}}

In December 2014, Hôtel Drouot showcased a necklace and bracelet set characteristic of the Belperron style in terms of its volume and its delicate velvety blue shades. Estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000 euros, the auction price of this set broke a record, soaring to 415,000 euros.{{Cite web |last=Juncker |first=Capucine |date=2018-12-23 |title=Suzanne Belperron, histoire d'une consécration. Entretien avec Olivier Baroin. |url=https://propertyofalady.fr/2018/12/23/https-propertyofalady-fr-2018-12-23-suzanne-belperron-histoire-dune-consecration/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Property of a lady |language=fr-FR}}

In May 2015, Vanity Fair, in a lengthy article dedicated to Suzanne Belperron, noted that "their exclusivity, fragility, and rarity make Suzanne Belperron's jewelry hard to find today, and their auction prices reach levels that would delight the designer".

In June 2016, the Aguttes auction house in Paris showcased a significant platinum ring consisting of a wide curved band paved with rubies and accentuated with small diamonds. Estimated between 20,000 and €25,000, its price eventually reached €116,000 . In December 2017, a pair of white gold drop earrings sold for €255,000 .

At Christie's “Magnificent Jewels” sale in New York in December 2018, a "tube" bracelet in platinum and 18-carat white gold adorned with old-cut diamonds soared to $852,500, while its initial estimate was between $200,000 and $300,000.{{Cite web |date=2018-12-05 |title=Christie's new york magnificent jewels results |url=https://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/9257/RESULTS_CHRISTIE%27S%20JEWELS_DECEMBER%205_%20MAGNIFICENT%20JEWELS_TT_9257_1.pdf|access-date=2023-08-19 |website=christies.com |language=en-US}} This piece of jewelry was created in 1935, as evidenced by a document countersigned by the hand of the designer, sourced from the personal archives preserved by Olivier Baroin.

In June 2023, a rare complete set, including a necklace, a pair of earring clips, and a corsage clip adorned with a myriad of sapphires and emeralds, once owned by the Hertz family, was put up for sale at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris.{{Cite web |last=Dewintre |first=Hervé |date=2023-06-27 |title=Belperron toujours au sommet |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/mode-design/belperron-toujours-au-sommet-27-06-2023-2526449_265.php |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Le Point |language=fr}} The collection sold for 468,000 euros.

• {{cite book|last1=Raulet|first1=Sylvie |last2=Baroin |first2=Olivier|title=Suzanne Belperron|pages=351|publisher=Antique Collectors Club|date=16 December 2011|isbn=978-1-85149-625-9}}

• {{Cite news| language=fr| first=Dominique | last=Paulvé |title= Belperron : un nom qui vaut de l'or |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/fashion/the-legacy-of-suzanne-belperron-jeweler.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |newspaper=Vanity Fair |date = May 2015| pages= 120 to 127, 178 |issn=2268-0659}}
• {{Cite news| first=Cathy | last=Horyn | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/fashion/the-legacy-of-suzanne-belperron-jeweler.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=Suzanne Belperron: Modern, before the World Was | newspaper=New York Times | date=19 December 2012 | issn=0362-4331}}
• {{Cite news| language=fr| first=Michèle | last=Heuzé | title=Suzanne Belperron sort de l'ombre | newspaper=L'Objet d'art |date = May 2012| pages=68–73|issn=0998-8041}}
• {{Cite news| language=fr| first=Laurence |last=Mouillefarine |title=Les trésors de Suzanne Belperron / Pictures by Karl Lagerfeld|work=AD / Architectural Digest France n°180 |date= May 2012|pages=118–120 |issn=0990-977X}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Dilys E|last1=Blum|title=Elsa Schiaparelli |publisher=Musée de la mode et du textile|date=1 April 2004 |pages=320|isbn=2-901422-76-4}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Jean|last1=Cassou|title=Panorama des Arts plastiques contemporains |publisher=Gallimard |location=Paris |year=1960 |pages=796}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Françoise|last1=Cailles|title=René Boivin |publisher=Éditions de l'amateur |location=Paris|date=11 October 1994 |pages=399|isbn=978-2859171742}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Marguerite|last1=Cerval|title=Dictionnaire international du bijou |publisher=Éditions du Regard |location=Paris|date=1 January 1999 |pages=571|isbn=978-2903370985}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Eleanor|last1=Dwing|title=Diana Vreeland |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York|year=2002|isbn=978-0688167387}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=William |last1=Ewing|title=Hoyninghen Huene – L'Elégance des dates 30 |publisher=Denoël |location=Paris|date=13 October 1986|isbn=978-2207232729}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Georges|last1=Fouquet|title=La Bijouterie et la Joaillerie modernes |publisher=Éditions du Chêne |location=Paris |year=1942 |pages=100}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Jean|last1=Fouquet|title=Bijoux et Orfèvrerie |publisher=Moreau |location=Paris |date=1928–1931}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Marie-Noël|last1=de Gary|title=Les Fouquet bijoutiers joaillers à Paris 1860–1960|publisher=Musée des Arts décoratifs/Flammarion |location=Paris |date=15 July 1993|isbn=978-2080120199}}
• {{cite book|first1=Valentine|last1=Lawford|title=His Work and His World|publisher=Alfred a Knopf|location=New York |date=October 1984|isbn=978-0394521718|pages=396}}
• {{cite book|first1=Stefano|last1=Papi|first2=Alexandra|last2=Rhodes|title=Famous Jewelry Collectors|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|date=1 October 1999|isbn=978-0810933415|pages=208}}
• {{cite book|language=fr|first1=Evelyne|last1=Possémé|first2=Laurence|last2=Mouillefarine|title=Bijoux Art déco et avant-garde |publisher=Coédition Éditions Norma / Les Arts Décoratifs|date=18 March 2009|pages=256|isbn=978-2-9155-4220-2}}

• Sotheby's, Catalogue of the jewels designed by Suzanne Belperron for her close friend Cécyle Simon, Geneva, 14 May 2013
• Sotheby's, Catalogue of the sale of the jewels from the personal collection of Suzanne Belperron, Geneva, 12–14 May 2012
• Christie's, Sale Catalogue Paris, 19 May 2010
• Sotheby's, Catalogue of the sale of the jewels of Diana Vreeland, New York, 1987
• Sotheby's, Catalogue of the sale of the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, Geneva, 2–3 April 1987

• La Galerie Parisienne, René Boivin, Suzanne Belperron or the art of feminine jewellery, Paris, 6 to 30 November 2009
• Museum of Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Art Deco and Avant-Garde Jewelry, Paris, 19 March to 12 July 2009

• Lecture Suzanne Belperron for the sale of personal jewellery collection, presented by Olivier Baroin & Sylvie Raulet, Sotheby's, Paris, 24 January 2012
• Conference Suzanne Belperron presented by Olivier Baroin & Sylvie Raulet, the French Academy of luxury, Paris, 29 November 2011
• Lecture Suzanne Belperron presented by Olivier Baroin, Sotheby's, Geneva, 12 November 2011
• Lecture Suzanne Belperron apresented by Olivier Baroin, Sotheby's, London, 25 October 2011

• Femina: April 1927, 1948
• Harper's Bazaar: September 1936, March 1938, April 1938, July–August 1938, January 1939
• L'Express, 10 May 1962, exhibition at the Louvre entitled 'Dix siècles de joaillerie Française' by Schneider, Pierre
• Le Figaro illustré, November 1934, December 1935
• San Francisco Sunday Chronicle, 16 November 1961
• Vogue – American edition : September 1933, January 1934, May 1934, June 1935, October 1935, January 1936, February 1936, April 1936, June 1936, January 1937
• Vogue – British edition : August 1934, 1936
• Vogue – French edition : November 1933, May 1934, June 1934, July 1934, January 1935, February 1935, March 1935, April 1935, June 1935, September 1935, February 1936, March 1936, April 1936, August 1936, January 1937, February 1937, March 1937, May–June 1947, December 1947, February 1948, September 1950, December 1951 – January 1952, December 1960, March 1972

{{Authority control (arts)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belperron, Suzanne}}

Category:Artists from Paris

Category:French jewellery designers

Category:20th-century French businesswomen

Category:20th-century French businesspeople

Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour

Category:1900 births

Category:1983 deaths

Category:People from Saint-Claude, Jura

Category:20th-century French women artists

Category:Women jewellers