38 Facts About Suzanne Belperron

Suzanne Belperron, born in Saint-Claude, France, was an influential 20th-century jewellery designer based in Paris.

Suzanne Belperron worked for the Boivin and Herz jewellery houses before the outbreak of World War II.

Suzanne Belperron had many important clients, including royalty and people in the arts and show business on both sides of the Atlantic.

Madeleine Suzanne Belperron Marie Claire Vuillerme, daughter of merchant Jules Alix Vuillerme and Marie Clarisse Faustine Bailly-Maitre, was born 26 September 1900 in the town of Saint-Claude, in Jura Mountains, 60 kilometres from Geneva.

Suzanne Belperron won first prize in the "Decorative Art" annual competition of 1918, with a pendant-watch.

In March 1919, soon after her move to Paris at the beginning of the "Golden Twenties", Suzanne Belperron was taken on as a modelist-designer by Jeanne Boivin, the widow of Rene Boivin.

At Boivin, Suzanne Belperron made a name for herself with designs that set precious stones in semi-precious materials like chalcedony, rock crystal, and smoky quartz.

Suzanne Belperron might have begun to feel bored and frustrated that the original designs for Boivin's creations were not attributed to her.

In February 1932, Suzanne Belperron resigned her position with Maison Rene Boivin.

Suzanne Belperron was replaced by Juliette Moutard in January 1933 and Germaine Boivin, the daughter of Jeanne and Rene Boivin.

Suzanne Belperron's fame grew, and she became a major figure in the artistic world both in France and abroad.

Suzanne Belperron found inspiration in nature's flora and fauna, from creatures like starfish and insects to minutiae of a garden's flower petals and leaves.

Suzanne Belperron was captivated by the underwater world, fascinated by the splendour of its shapes and the combinations of its colours.

Suzanne Belperron pioneered the technique of setting precious stones in semiprecious materials.

One of the techniques Suzanne 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.

Suzanne Belperron's jewellery was so original that she never signed her pieces, instead insisting "my style is my signature".

Suzanne Belperron was convinced that the originality of her jewellery made it easily identifiable and that there was therefore no need for it to be signed.

On one occasion, Suzanne Belperron managed to save him from the Gestapo thanks to her friend Rika Radife.

On 2 November 1942, Suzanne Belperron was arrested at her office, due to a letter of denunciation indicating that "the Suzanne Belperron house dissimulates a Jewish business".

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

Suzanne Belperron was approached by several American companies with offers to design jewellery in America, but she chose to remain in Paris.

At the start of 1945, Suzanne Belperron moved from her Montmartre flat to 14 rue d'Aumale in Paris, a short distance from the reception rooms of the Herz-Suzanne Belperron jewellery house.

The younger Herz and Suzanne Belperron resumed the partnership, working successfully together for the next 30 years.

Suzanne Belperron received her clientele exclusively by appointment in salons situated on the third floor of 59, rue de Chateaudun in Paris.

Suzanne Belperron never felt the urge to set up a boutique, so convinced was she that her pieces of jewellery themselves were her best ambassadors.

Suzanne Belperron's 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.

Suzanne Belperron's clientele included most of Europe's royalty and aristocrats as the dynasties of the Aga Khan, Rothschild, Wildenstein and Duke of Windsor.

On 12 July 1963, Suzanne Belperron was elevated to the rank of Knight of the Legion d'Honneur.

However, Suzanne Belperron refused all proposals for collaboration to re-edit her jewellery collection.

Suzanne Belperron died in an accident in her bath on 28 Mar 1983 at the age of 82.

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

Suzanne Belperron's heir honoured the will of the artist, the confidentiality of her archives, and the respect of her clients until his death.

Furthermore, Suzanne Belperron's archives confirm that there was a plan for an art book devoted to her work.

The French expert acquired 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.

Suzanne Belperron manages, with the support from the heirs, the catalogue raisonne of the jewellery designer.

Suzanne Belperron jewellery 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 and a tourmaline, emerald, peridot, beryl, coloured sapphire and gold bracelet sold for $330,895 in 2011.

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.

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".