PAIR OF DIAMOND AND GOLD CLIPS BY SUZANNE BELPERRON, PARIS, CIRCA 1945

Certification

Certification from Olivier Baroin, no. 170602 Bp/Amr/Agt, stating the pair of clips was manufactured before 1955 for Suzanne Belperron.

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

Never one to sign her jewelry, Suzanne Belperron famously stated “My style is my signature.” Her jewels are immediately recognizable and singular is design and execution. While she began her career during the Art Deco movement she transcended convention and created jewels that were bold in form, fluid, feminine and always elegant. With a career that spanned her lifetime, Belperron’s jewelry was often featured in fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, but she always maintained the intimate tradition of bespoke jewelry, did not advertise, and kept a private, appointment-only salon. Her designs captured the spirit of the modern evolving world seen through the lens of femininity, and her jewels remain unparalleled.

For these clips, Belperron plays on the concept of the traditional double-clip brooch popular during the late Art Deco period in the 1930s and 1940s. Centering two platinum half-moon-shaped plaques, each is designed as repeating swirls of round diamonds with rays of baguette diamonds, all of unique shape and size creating texture and movement. Sculptural polished yellow gold sections, framing the platinum, add complexity and character to the overall design. The double-clip brooch gained popularity quickly in the 1930s due to the versatile ways they can be worn clipped singly or in pairs on necklines, shoulders, hats, at the waist, or even in the hair. These unusual clips are larger and more impactful than a more traditional design.

With a prestigious client list of royal families, movie stars, bankers, and social elites, Belperron was a highly sought after designer during her time and her jewelry is in high demand today. No matter who the client was, Belperron took special care with each design, never letting a technical difficulty impact her design. From gouache drawing, to meeting daily with her workshop to follow the progress of a piece, she kept a close eye on the productions of a jewel ensuring her vision was realized. These one-of-a-kind clips embody the fierce creativity possessed by Belperron and would be a bold and important addition to any jewelry collection.