03/08/2025
[FOR SALE] A pre-WWII Suzanne Belperron aquamarine and tourmaline ring, circa 1932-1940 Paris. The entire ring is carved from one piece of aquamarine, set with a pink tourmaline in a 18k YG bezel. US size 5. Accompanied with a certificate of authenticity by Belperron LLC.
Trained at the height of the Art Deco movement, Belperron is one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Her designs were loved by many, including Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, Christian Dior, aristocrats and royalty. Rumour has it that, on the morning when the Archbishop of Canterbury was adjudicating Edward VIII’s right to marry Wallis Simpson and remain the King of England, Edward was on the phone to the Belperron offices in Paris, discussing a bracelet he ordered for Wallis. Known for her distinct style, Belperron never signed her pieces, famously stating ‘my style is my signature’.
Belperron moved to Paris from her hometown near Jura after WWI. She worked for Jeanne Boivin, widow of René Boivin. From 1932, she partnered with Bernard Herz, a renowned natural pearl and gemstone dealer, who offered her the freedom and recognition by designing under her own name. Pieces from the Bernard and Suzanne collaboration between 1932-1942 were particularly artistic, their creativity perhaps a reflection of the love and passion they had for each other. Whilst they were married to other people, I suspect she loved him very much.
As France came under the Vichy regime, the business was denounced as Jewish owned (Herz was Jewish), and Suzanne was arrested in 1942. As Suzanne was being transferred to Gestapo, she swallowed every page of her address book to prevent her Jewish associates’ names from being exposed. She survived.
Bernard Herz was also arrested, and eventually perished at Auschwitz. Before his death, he entrusted his affairs to Suzanne. She never stopped working during the war, and even joined the French Resistance against the N***s.
After the war, she sought out Bernard’s son Jean and they resumed a successful partnership for another 30 years. Her courage and legacy lives on through her jewelry.
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