Renowned for compositions as harmonious as they are groundbreaking, Suzanne Belperron designed bold, thoroughly modern jewelry. By daring to use striking shapes and colors, she won over an illustrious clientele including the Duchess of Windsor, Daisy Fellowes and Wallis Simpson.
She never considered it necessary to sign her work, believing their originality made them instantly recognizable.
“My style is my signature.”
1. A rising star of Art Deco jewelry
Suzanne Belperron was born in 1900 in the Jura mountains and developed a passion for drawing and gemstones at a very young age. Thanks to a yellow gold pendant watch she designed while studying at the School of Fine Arts, she won first prize at the 1918 Decorative Arts competition.
At just 20, she was hired by the Boivin family. Her drawings and creations, ahead of their time, helped launch Maison Boivin. At the same time, Art Deco was at its peak: jewelry was geometric, structured and pared back.
Signet ring, 1945 – Silver ring, 1922 – Ring with undulating gadroons, 1942–1965
Suzanne was soon recognized as a unique artist, admired by clients and suppliers alike. Frustrated by the anonymity of her creations and drawings, she left Maison Boivin in 1932 to become artistic director at Maison Herz, specialized in gemstones and pearls, and came to embody modern jewelry in the spirit of Chanel and Schiaparelli.
2. Original creations with international renown
The complete creative freedom she gained at Herz made her an innovative woman known worldwide for her avant-garde designs. She popularized invisible settings and invented floral jewels with petals that open and close. In January 1934, Suzanne Belperron’s pieces appeared on the cover of the American edition of Vogue with the quote: “Mme Belperron of Paris has revolutionized the jewelry world with her hand-carved precious stones.”
A tireless traveler, Suzanne journeyed to the East, to India and Africa to study ancient goldsmithing techniques and make acquisitions. She returned with rubies and sapphires, playing with precious and semi-precious stones and diamonds to tell her story. Flowers, the marine world, colors, patterns — everything inspired Suzanne.
Marquise Wide Wave Ring – Jade ear clips – Toi et Moi ring, diamonds
She immersed herself in the style of her clients before creating: she listened to their story and tastes, and observed their morphology. In her view, “the value of a jewel matters less than its ability to reflect the personality of the woman who wears it.”
When I first created Mayrena, I quickly noticed that women with similar character often gravitated toward the same jewelry styles. I decided to rename the collection because the choice of a piece is no accident — it’s a continuation of our personality.
4. The close of a remarkable post–World War II career
During World War II, Suzanne did everything she could to hide the identity of her Jewish clients and protect Herz, who was Jewish and would sadly die at Auschwitz. She stood up to the Gestapo and fought on, eventually joining the Resistance in 1956.
In 1963, she was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur for her talents as a jewelry designer. After her death, her pieces were reissued, archives were made public, and her work continues to be sold today by major auction houses.
