The Enduring Legacy of Suzanne Belperron
Suzanne Belperron was one of the most influential jewelry designers of the twentieth century. Many have said she revolutionized jewelry in the same way that Coco Chanel revolutionized couture. Belperron’s creations were sculptural and curvaceous, radically deviating from the popular Art Deco movement that had emerged during WW1, with its geometric shapes and rigid lines. She had a penchant for flowers, round shapes, pearls, and rings. Collectors of her jewelry range from her original clients—the Duchess of Windsor, Diana Vreeland, and Lauren Bacall—to modern day style icons, including Daphne Guinness, Karl Lagerfeld, and Catherine Deneuve. Moreover, in the pantheon of master jewelers of the early twentieth century, Belperron stood apart as the only woman.
Suzanne Belperron photographed by Horst P. Horst for Vogue, 1935. (Getty Images)
Belperron was unafraid to take risks, setting precious stones in semi-precious materials like chalcedony, rock crystal, and even wood—a bold move that had never been done before. The striking brunette who was known to be charming but determined, with penetrating eyes and a look that was sophisticated in its simplicity, proved that high style can come from simple elements. Belperron paved the way for a new era in jewelry design. And while her creations often pushed volume to the limit, no piece ever appeared overdone.
“There’s no one else like her,” professed Karl Lagerfeld for a New York Times article in 2012. An avid Belperron collector, Lagerfeld spoke these words while musing through images of brilliant rock crystal cuffs and brooches set with brightly colored stones. The address of Belperron’s salon was only ever shared discreetly—and only by word of mouth—with chosen clients who understood and appreciated her talent. This sense of secrecy and exclusivity increased her renown both in France and around the world. And she famously never signed her designs, asserting instead, “My style is my signature”.
Karl Lagerfeld wears a diamond Belperron brooch as a tie clip.
Suzanne Belperron, née Vuillerme, was born in September, 1900 in the Jura Mountains of eastern France. She developed a noticeable talent for drawing and painting at an early age, which her mother encouraged by enrolling her in Besançon’s École des Beaux-Arts. When she graduated it was the onset of the “Golden Twenties”, and Suzanne moved to Paris—where she was taken in by Jeanne Boivin, widow of master jeweler and engraver René Boivin. The timing was fortuitous, as René Boivin had recently died and the House of Boivin was in search of fresh talent.
In 1924, Suzanne married her childhood sweetheart, Jean, and adopted the name Belperron. By 1928, she had become co-directress of Boivin, and she had begun to develop a global reputation for her revolutionary designs—round, shapely pieces that were sensual, tactile, and arrestingly modern. That same year, Vogue and Paris Vogue featured four pieces from Maison René Boivin bearing Suzanne Belperron’s signature style. But by 1932, she was ready for a change. Recognizing the rising jewelry designer’s burgeoning talent, Parisian dealer Bernard Herz hired Belperron—offering her the freedom to design her own models under the Herz name, which she did from a private salon at 59 rue de Châteaudun in Paris. In 1934, an illustration featuring a Belperron clip and bracelet in chalcedony and sapphires appeared on the cover of Paris Vogue—her first cover.
The 1930s were a period of creative and commercial success for Madame Belperron. Her clientele included Europe’s leading royalty and aristocrats—names like Aga Khan, Rothschild, Wildenstein, and Windsor. She also attracted clients from the world of show business, such as Merle Oberon, Josephine Baker, Gary Cooper, and Fred Astaire (in 1936 King Edward VIII famously visited the B. Herz offices only to be mistaken for Astaire—the “greatest popular music-dancer of all time”). From the fashion world, admirers included Elsa Schiaparelli, Nina Ricci, Christian Dior, Daisy Fellowes, and Jeanne Lanvin (her friend Diana Vreeland was overheard saying how she “adored Belperron’s style”). And from the political sphere, Prime Minister Léon Blum, Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Paul Reynaud, Maurice Couve de Murville, and Houphouët-Boigny numbered among her throng of loyal patrons.
A set of Belperron amethyst, ruby and diamond “Leaves” that once belonged to Mrs. William Paley (Dorothy) sold at Christie’s in 2019 for $507,000.
Belperron was fascinated by the distant cultures of Egypt, India, the Far East, Africa, and Oceania. She also drew inspiration from nature’s flora and fauna, focusing on everything from the wings of insects to the minutiae of a garden flower’s petals and blossoming leaves. She was also drawn to the underwater world—spellbound by the splendor of its shapes and captivating color-combinations. Trained at the height of the Art Deco movement, Belperron softened its strict linear aesthetic, using materials and designs other jewelers had not yet explored. When working with gold, she preferred the raw texture of 22 karat, which she referred to as “virgin” gold.
But World War II brought hardship and tragedy. Bernard Herz was Jewish, and because of the discriminatory Nazi “Law on the status of Jews” passed by the Vichy regime, he was arrested in 1941. In order to ensure the survival of the business, he sold it to Suzanne Belperron that same year. Herz was arrested again in 1942, along with Belperron, due to a letter of denunciation stating “the Belperron house dissimulates a Jewish business”. Belperron knew that if the Gestapo ever found her list of clients and suppliers, they would all be at risk of being jailed—or worse. During her transfer to Gestapo headquarters in Paris, she swallowed critical pages of the Herz Jewelry address book in order to conceal the names. Belperron was later released, but Herz was sent to Drancy internment camp. Although Belperron “moved heaven and earth” to release him, Herz was over 65 years old, and was later deported to Auschwitz, where he was executed.
Madame Belperron received at least thirteen offers to escape France during the war years, but she chose to remain in occupied Paris, where she preserved the company for Herz’s son, Jean, who was able to return home safely as a prisoner of war. Together, they formed a new partnership, Herz-Belperron, which flourished until their retirement in 1974.
Belperron had launched her career at the age of 19 in 1919—and for nearly 60 years she never stopped working. In 1963, Madame Belperron was awarded France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur for her contributions as a jewelry designer and for her efforts with the French Resistance. When she died in 1983, her life and career had spanned modern movements in art, feminism, and the emergence of fashion as a major industry.
When the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels were auctioned at Sotheby’s in 1987, Belperron’s name returned to the spotlight. In the highly publicized sale, only four of at least sixteen Belperron pieces were identified as “probably by Belperron,” including the Duchess’ famous blue chalcedony suite. Because Madame Belperron never officially signed her designs, identifying her work proved challenging once she was gone—and the majority of her creations that appeared at auction throughout the 1990s remained unidentified.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1971. The Duchess wears a Blie Chalcedony, sapphire, and diamond suite of jewelry fashioned by Suzanne Belperron, circa 1935. (Photo Yousuf Karsh)
Through Jean Herz’s friendship with Jean-Pierre Brun, the owner of one of Herz-Belperron’s former workshops, a plan to reassemble the company’s vast archive emerged. And in an agreement between: Jean Herz; Jean Herz’s grandson, David; Belperron’s principal beneficiary, Michel Choisy; Jean-Pierre Brun, and; Jean-Pierre Brun’s daughter, Valérie—the Société Nouvelle Herz-Belperron was founded to revive the creations of Suzanne Belperron and return the name to prominence. Between 1991-1998 this new company produced 225 pieces in Paris, each crafted directly from Belperron’s original designs—but distinguished from those made during her lifetime with the signature “St. N. Herz Belperron”. The Brun family workshop had manufactured jewels for Duke Fulco di Verdura for over forty years, so Ward Landrigan—former head of Sotheby’s Jewelry Department and owner of Verdura since 1985—was a natural choice for an exclusive partnership.
Having long admired Suzanne Belperron’s work, and with the blessing of Herz and Choisy, Ward Ladrigan purchased Belperron’s archive of designs in 1999. “Suzanne Belperron, brilliant, beautiful, aloof and incredibly talented, was the only female master jeweler in the twentieth century to create her own indelible aesthetic,” he states. Nico Landrigan, Ward’s son and President of Verdura and Belperron, is responsible for the revival of Madame Belperron’s work. “She was a sculptress, with a gift for divining beautiful shapes,” says Nico. “We are thrilled to be the caretakers of her legacy and feel a tremendous responsibility as we re-introduce her pioneering work to the world.”
Belperron Wave Rings (stack of 3) in 22k “virgin” gold ($4,950) and diamond and platinum ($22,500).
Today, Belperron sells both vintage and new pieces from its New York salon overlooking Central Park at 745 Fifth Avenue. The Daniel Romualdez-designed space captures the aesthetic of a 1932 Parisian apartment—with black-lacquered trim and marble fireplaces—reminiscent of when Madame Belperron worked at 59, rue de Châteaudun in Paris and first achieved widespread recognition for her originality. Pieces from the new collection include designs fashioned in 22 karat gold—virgin gold—with its uniquely raw texture. The latest Belperron Collection has been selected entirely from her archive of over 9,300 designs, many of which were never made during her lifetime. In keeping with Madame Belperron’s exacting standards, the jewelry is made in some of Paris’ oldest workshops, including Jean Pierre Brun’s. To differentiate the new collection from Suzanne Belperron’s original pieces, every new jewel is signed Belperron. For more information visit belperron.com or call 212.702.9040.