Her style was her signature

My passion for jewelry emerged when I was barely fifteen years old, while I was following a classical curriculum and preparing for my French baccalaureate. Much to my father's dismay, I decided in 1983 to leave high school to take the entrance exam for the Haute École de Joaillerie on Rue du Louvre in Paris. I obtained my jeweler's diploma in 1987 and at eighteen, I started working in major workshops like Pery. In parallel, I took art history courses to be able to set up as a jeweler-antiquarian in Paris's 16th arrondissement ten years later. In the workshop, I worked mainly on commissioned pieces that I designed and then made for an elite clientele. At the same time, I gradually familiarized myself with ancient techniques to specialize in the restoration of collectible jewelry, and the expertise of silverware, sculptures, furniture, and art objects. In 2001, I joined the European Chamber of Expert-Advisors in Art. Unexpectedly, it was during a succession in 2007 that I discovered Suzanne Belperron's archives in a Parisian apartment located in Montmartre. I knew little about this artist, who was said to be "the only designer who could afford not to sign her works, as her style was simply unparalleled." I had been able to discover some of her pieces at my friend Miriam Mellini's, a broker and dealer in pearls and diamonds, whose knowledge extended well beyond the creators. At her place, I had seen the auction catalog of the Duchess of Windsor's jewelry. 

On September 23, 2008, the rediscovered archives in the Montmartre apartment (including all the creator's personal effects, including the famous appointment registers kept daily from 1937 to 1974) were subject to a private transfer contract to my benefit, by Madame Belperron's universal legatee. In this contract, registered in Versailles on October 1, 2008, the heir mandated me to ensure, among other things, "the future expertise of all the creator's work." In 2011, I published with Sylvie Raulet the first monograph on the artist, stemming from the desire to make the countless discovered information about the creator's work accessible to as many people as possible. Sylvie Raulet & Olivier Baroin, Suzanne Belperron, Antique Collector’s Club / Bibliothèque des Arts, 2011. In 2012, I joined the Union Française des Experts as a specialist in Suzanne Belperron.

Perhaps it should be clarified that after winning first prize at the École des Beaux-Arts in Besançon in 1918, Madeleine Suzanne Vuillerme began her brilliant career in 1919 (when she was barely 19 years old) alongside Jeanne Boivin, who had hired her to succeed her husband as a designer. Thirteen years later, Suzanne, now Madame Jean Belperron - although co-director of Maison Boivin since 1923 - felt a certain weariness in seeing her creations reflected in the mirror of the late René Boivin. In February 1932, she resigned, leaving behind an indelible mark, the "Belperron style" was ingrained in the DNA of the house. 

Unique, her work is characterized by creations with clean lines, yet sensual and even voluptuous. Using colored stones that she chose for their beauty rather than their value, she imagined jewelry that was counter to the creations of her time - most of which were angular platinum set with diamonds. A master colorist, Suzanne Belperron boldly created avant-garde jewelry: her designs revolutionized the world of adornment, highlighting new materials in proportions that sometimes bordered on excess! Her jewelry, some of which was somewhat exuberant, nevertheless remained elegant, as her creativity never exceeded the bounds of good taste. Therein lies the key to the Belperron mystery.

Suzanne Belperron revolutionized the world of jewelry just as Coco Chanel did with fashion: this is likely one of the reasons why Mr. Lagerfeld admired her so much. Her style is truly unmatched because she had an innate talent for appreciating proportions, combining materials, and blending colors. She could afford to challenge the "old codes" of classic jewelry: Madame Belperron had impeccable taste! Thus, she did not need to follow traditional rules to create. 

Her compositions, as harmonious as they were unusual, as chic as they were avant-garde, were designed for independent, emancipated women, free to wear what they loved whenever they wanted. These are jewels designed by a modern woman for modern women. Throughout her career, from 1932 to 1971, you will notice that her jewelry continuously graced the covers of women's fashion magazines that set trends (Le Figaro illustré, Femina, Vogue, or Harper’s Bazaar), as well as the pages of L'Express, the Herald Tribune, and the Toronto Star. Unlike most major jewelers, she never felt the need to sign her works, with her motto being: "my style is my signature." This adage is more evident today than ever: wearing a Belperron jewel is clearly the "nec plus ultra"; it is a style, an elegance, a chic recognizable without the need for any signature. The soul and spirit of the jeweler are so palpable in her creations that they are inherently inimitable. 

Through sheer talent, Suzanne Belperron joined the ranks of the most modern, enlightened female figures of the 20th century and remains one of the most sought-after in the 21st century.

All of Suzanne Belperron's creations are iconic simply because none resemble any other. Each piece exudes the strong personality of the creator, which explains the market's enthusiasm. When we put things back into their context, we understand that it was uncommon in the 1930s to create a set with stones then referred to as "semi-precious," precious, and sometimes even ornamental: mineral, but also vegetable or animal materials. From the wooden ring topped with a sapphire to the ivory brooch adorned with coral, and the famous monumental butterfly set with emerald cabochons and diamonds, all her creations are among the most innovative.

Besides the generous volumes and the atypical setting techniques, she particularly favored certain materials such as chalcedony, blonde agate, and rock crystal, not to mention gold, which she sometimes wanted to be yellow, matte, of high quality, and which she described as "virgin gold," like the gold of the Scythians ... everything set her apart from other jewelers.

According to rumor, Suzanne Belperron had burned her archives, but this was only a legend... Discovered in December 2007, her personal belongings had been lying dormant in an apartment at the foot of Montmartre—which had remained closed since her death in 1983—for twenty-four years. Her furniture, her library, her sources of inspiration, her entire life was piled up there in disarray. Among a multitude of drawings, sketches, models, plaster casts, drafts, correspondences, and personal photos were numerous press articles counter-signed and her order books kept daily from 1937 to 1974. 

Throughout the pages, one finds the major European courts, the world of arts, finance, and the international elite: all traveled to Paris to seek the talents of whom they considered the most talented jewelry designer of her time. The traceability of clients and orders is of paramount importance, especially since her jewelry—so sought after today—was never signed. The archives therefore consist of hundreds of plaster casts, sketches, and gouaches, as well as all her correspondence, tracing her life, her work, and her professional career through her personal life. 

On 7,500 pages of registers, approximately 6,730 clients are recorded across around 45,000 appointments. The exploitation of these documents allows me to trace the origin of a piece of jewelry, identify clients, and authenticate any piece that—either for technical reasons (jewelry made of hard stone) or due to wear over time—bears no workshop hallmark. An unauthenticated piece of jewelry may only be worth a few hundred euros, whereas the same piece with its certificate can be worth several tens of thousands of euros, highlighting the crucial importance of having each piece referenced and certified. For example, a Belperron silver ring with fine stones was auctioned in Paris in November 2017. Without attribution, it was estimated at 600 to 800 euros by an auctioneer and sold for 3,700 euros. 

A few months later, the buyer entrusted it to me for expertise. After researching the archives, I was able to authenticate the ring and issue its certificate. In October 2018, the certified ring was re-auctioned in Neuilly with an estimated value of 8,000 to 10,000 euros and sold for 75,000 euros with its certificate.

The most fascinating pieces rarely appear on the art market (aside from a few exceptional pieces like those discovered during the sale of the Duchess of Windsor's collection).

The Belperron market is aimed at erudite collectors, sometimes capricious and often keen on exclusivity. It is somewhat comparable to the art market: when a Picasso has been "seen," fewer major collectors are interested in it; conversely, discovery sparks all desires.

Therefore, if a piece has been presented to the general public, it is considered "seen" and consequently less coveted.

As an expert, I observe that major collectors prefer to buy under the seal of discretion and in complete exclusivity. Thus, when a piece is entrusted to me for sale, no photos are allowed to circulate; a potential buyer is contacted, they come to Paris based on a brief description (without even knowing what they will discover), and the deal is usually concluded within a few minutes.

As an expert in antique jewelry, I am not qualified to appraise a contemporary piece. Modern jewelry produced through CAD (computer-aided design) cannot be compared to handmade, bespoke pieces. It is important to specify that Madame Belperron almost always created a personalized drawing in advance, considering the client's morphology and selecting stones one by one for her.

The sale results for the most iconic pieces remain exceptional; the more interesting the piece, the higher the price soars. What is less appealing now on the market are the more common pieces, those already seen, or the later productions (1970-1983): buyers' tastes are becoming increasingly "refined." Belperron has certainly reached great heights, but according to the archives, there are still spectacular pieces sleeping in some vaults that will undoubtedly yield stratospheric results.

I think brooches are among the most iconic pieces of Suzanne Belperron's work. What could be more chic, elegant, and refined than wearing one of her sublime brooches on the lapel of a suit or on the top of a shoulder? For a woman, as well as for a man, wearing a "Belperron" in this way is a statement of character, representing the artist while making her style one's own. In this regard, Mr. Lagerfeld was undoubtedly her best ambassador.