Gold and Aquamarine Ring by Suzanne Belperron, Paris, circa 1950

Certification

Certificate of Authenticity from Olivier Baroin stating the ring was manufactured by Groene & Darde for Suzanne Belperron between 1942 and 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

Creating oversized designs with bold curves and rounded forms, Suzanne Belperron stripped away any assumptions about the delicacy of jewelry design. With an expert sense of proportion and color, her jewels are works of art. In contrast to her avant-garde jewelry, her business was run in an understated manner at an upstairs office at 59 rue de Châteaudun in Paris. The name Belperron was quietly passed among stylish friends, reaching socialites, royalty, and the fashion cognoscenti. To meet with madame, you had to be sophisticated. If you were welcomed through the door, she would make you something marvelous.  

This extraordinary ring is oversized and appears almost if it is three rings pressed together into one. Belperron often created jewels with three stones, three bracelets, or three parts. The use of three creates both balance and dynamism. Belperron was drawn to nature and exotic motifs, but she also had a sense of humor and was inspired by the soft rounded curves of the cartoon Michelin Man, known as Bibendum. The exaggerated curves in this ring bring a sense of defined space and individual importance to the aquamarines and break up the oversized ring shank in an elegant and considered way.

Belperron famously exclaimed “My style is my signature,” and refused to sign her pieces. For each design she gathered all her inspiration and created something modern and unique that could only come from her hand. A century after she began making jewelry her pieces are highly sought after by collectors. This iconic ring is an important example of Belperron’s sculptural designs and would be the centerpiece of any collection.