Diamond Lotus Flower Ear Clips by Suzanne Belperron, Paris, circa 1955

Certification

Certificate of Authenticity No. 260502/Bp/Ftrm/Gp dated May 2, 2026, from Olivier Baroin stating the lotus flower ear clips were manufactured by Groene & Darde for Suzanne Belperron circa 1955.

Biography

Along with Chanel and Schiaparelli, Suzanne Belperron was one of the innovators of modern dress and jewelry. Belperron began her career in 1919 designing for René Boivin. Her 1933 partnership with Bernard Herz (and later his son Jean) allowed her to develop her bold, imaginative style mixing hardstones, such as chalcedony and rock crystal, with precious stones, such as diamonds and sapphires. The elegant beauty became a favorite jeweler to the fashionable elite including Diana Vreeland, Colette, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. Belperron retired in 1974 and continued consulting on jewelry designs until her death in 1983.

Significance

The most important and innovative jeweler in the twentieth century, Suzanne Belperron was a leader in modern design. Her bold curvaceous jewels caught the attention of the fashionable elite including Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, and the Duchess of Windsor. Unlike the renowned jewelers along rue de la Paix and la place Vendôme who drew in customers with glittering window displays, Belperron received her clientele only by appointment in her salon at 59, rue de Châteaudun. Her jewels spoke for themselves, and she refused to sign her pieces stating, “My style is my signature.” The address was privately passed amongst the most fashionable women in Paris who were drawn to her original designs. Often featured in top fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, her modern designs manipulated carved hardstone and metal into fluid sculptural forms that were uniquely Belperron.

Belperron drew inspiration from natural and exotic sources and her work explored bold, rounded forms informed by her research into the motifs of Egypt, India, Africa, and the Far East. An article in Harper’s Bazaar on March 15, 1938, described Belperron as living surrounded by Chinese furniture and art, as well as books on ancient Assyrian jewelry. Belperron celebrated her honeymoon in Egypt in 1924, taking in the sites and architecture. A photo of her at the Great Pyramids shows her astride a horse wearing a silk turban. This pair of earrings was inspired by the lotus motifs she saw throughout Egypt, a symbol of rebirth based on the lush flower that blooms each morning from the mud of the Nile.

The lotus was a motif she revisited throughout her career, particularly after her honeymoon and her encounter with Lord Carnarvon in 1940. The man was the son of the lord who funded Howard Carter and the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. The advent of World War II prevented Belperron from realizing the designs she created for him. Perhaps the radiating form of the lotus flower would have appealed to the son of one of the great Egyptologists. The form of the lotus flower is rendered wonderfully in these earrings that curve up the ear, ending in radiating diamond-set petals against a polished gold stem. These magnificent earrings with their lush curves and perfect balance could only have been designed by Belperron and would make an eye-catching addition to any collection.