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Suzanne Belperron was one of the most talented and influential jewellery designers of the 20th century. Inspired by the discovery of her personal archives in 2007, the authors of this book have created the first volume dedicated to the life and works of this renowned Parisian jeweller.In 1919 Belperron was employed as a model maker and designer by Germaine Boivin. She contributed enormously to the success of the Maison René Boivin, but in 1932 she decided to leave the company. It was with her associate Bernard Herz, a well known precious stone and pearl dealer, that Belperron first found the freedom to reject traditional jewellery design and manufacture. Fascinated by coloured stones, regardless of their value, she created highly innovative pieces, most of which were angular and set in platinum. Her jewellery was so original that she never signed her pieces, instead insisting 'my style is my signature'.Indeed, Belperron's avant-garde style was adored by the 'fashionistas' of her time. Her work frequently appeared in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and her clientele included most of Europe's royalty and aristocrats as well as bankers, fashion designers, intellectuals and American movie stars. The Duke of Windsor, the Rothschilds, Elsa Schiaparelli, Nina Ricci, Colette, Malet Stevens, Ganna Walska, and Gary Cooper are all known to have frequented Belperron's Parisian workshop.Belperron is often imitated today, and the lack of signature on her pieces can make identifying and dating them very difficult. The discovery of her personal archives was therefore of enormous significance, and makes this publication an essential reference book for enthusiasts of Suzanne Belperron and jewellery in general.
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Suzanne BelperronSylvie Raulet
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VÉÇàxÇàáPreface 7
CHAPTER ONE: The Life of an Artist 10
CHAPTER TWO: ‘My Style is my Signature’ 52
CHAPTER THREE: Stones and their Combinations 122
CHAPTER FOUR: Themes and Influences 192
CHAPTER FIVE: A Prestigious Clientele 250
Early Drawings and Sketches of Suzanne Belperron 300
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Born in Thuringe in 1906, HorstBohrmann, who would later use hisfirst name as his surname, mixed withthe students of the Bauhaus during hisholidays in Weimar at the start of the1920s. After taking classes with thearchitect and theorist Walter Gropiusin Hamburg, Horst started, in 1929, asan assistant in the Parisianarchitecture agency Le Corbusier.
Quite by chance, he and Hoyningen-Huene, the darkroom magician, crossedpaths. Hoyningen-Huene used Horst asa model before enlisting him asassistant and it was whilst working withhim that he was introduced to studiolighting. In the spring of 1931, while onholiday in Paris, Dr Agha, the Americanartistic director of Vogue, gave Horst hischance, and he seized this opportunityto prove his talent. His first photo waspublished in the French edition of Voguein November 1931. The following year, acommentary full of praise in the NewYork Times about his first photography
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Page from Harper’s Bazaar in which a Belperronplastron necklace (opposite) is worn by a model.
Plastron necklace composed of blue saphiresand diamonds, mounted on grey gold and
platinum. Private Collection.
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great connoisseurs and collectors from all around the worldwhose bids are so high that her w ork is sold for record prices atinternational auctions.
When the Duchess of Windsor sold her impressive collection ofjewels, accessories and precious objects (Sotheby’s, Geneva, 2 and3 April 1987), among other Suzanne Belperron creations wa s asumptuous set of jewels, created in the 1930s. They included anecklace of two rows of chalcedony beads (decorated with a‘flower’ clasp of chalcedony in the heart and cabochon sapphires,set off with a string of bril liants); a pair of open bracelets (in theshape of crowns mounted on balls of chalcedony, each encrustedwith a cabochon sapphire and bril liants); a pair of earrings (in theshape of veined leaves in a slender line of bril liants); and a pair ofbrooches (decorated with ruby cabochons and brilliants). With anestimated value of 6000-8000 Swiss Francs, the necklace was
auctioned for 275,000 Swiss Francs. The pair of bracelets wasestimated between 3000 and 4000 Swiss Francs, then auctionedfor 220,000 Swiss Francs. A guide price of 8000-12000 SwissFrancs was given for the pair of earrings, which w ere auctionedfor 132,000 Swiss Francs. A wide bracelet, estimated between3000 and 5000 Swiss Francs, dating from the end of the 1930s, inthe shape of a tiara and made of cultured pearls of different sizesmounted on gold was auctioned for 66,000 Swiss Francs.
Chapter One – The life of an Artist
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Opposite: A set of jewels which belonged to the Duchess of Windsor: two open bracelets each composed of a large band ofblue chalcedony and diamonds, attached to which are beads of blue chalcedony decorated with cabochon saphires; a necklace
composed of two rows of blue chalcedony beads linked by a flower, at the centre of which are cabochon saphires anddiamonds; ‘leaf ’ earrings in blue chalcedony, diamonds and saphires. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Drawing by Suzanne Belperron for the je wels pictured to the left. As can be seen f rom this, the necklace was originallydesigned using the leaf shaped clips instead of the flower.
The Duchess of Windsor, accompanied by her husband, wearing the set of blue chalcedony jewels. Photo: Kirsch of Ottawa.
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