Overview
Suzanne Belperron (1900-1983) is one of the twentieth century's greatest jewellers; she is now achieving near iconic status in the jewellery world and in the auction rooms. Her reputation is as high as that of any of the great French Art Deco jewellers. Amazingly, she never signed her work, considering it so distinctive that it was instantly recognisable. She worked first for the famous firm of Rene Boivin, but in her thirties was encouraged by admirers to set up on her own. She opened a tiny shop on the Rue de Chateaudon and began selling her new designs, which were totally in vogue with modern taste and lusted after by a young and hip generation. It seemed destined that no book would ever be devoted to her work because it was thought that her archive was destroyed in a fire. However, the discovery of that archive has made this book possible. It has revealed all the drawings for her jewellery as well as order books containing a who's who of names of her customers. These ranged from royalty like the Duchess of Windsor to writers like Colette, to famous stars like Frank Sinatra. Her fame spread wide and her pieces were constantly illustrated in magazines like Vogue as well as featured on the big screen in Hollywood movies. A forthcoming sale of a huge amount of her work (Sothebys 2011) has resulted in a great number of exceptional photographs, which illustrate this book. Dedicated to the distinctive and highly imaginative works of Suzanne Belperron, one of the pioneers of modern jewellery ILLUSTRATIONS: 250 colour illustrations
Reviews
The documentation paired with the quality of the jewelry makes this volume a real treat for students, gemologists, appraisers, and any jewelry professional who seeks to understand the Art Deco style that Belperron exemplified so masterfully. --Gems & Gemology
The book brings her unique story to life and the images of her designs, beautifully presented, identified and cataloged, make this an absolute must for every jewelry junkie. I have to say that that my copy, given to me for review, has yet to leave my nightstand as I continue to flip through through the images just for a pick-me-up at the end of a long work day. - JewelHistory.com
Author Information
Sylvie Raulet, a history graduate, graphic designer and journalist, has collaborated with magazines such as 'Beaux-Arts', 'L'Objet d' art', 'Harper s Bazaar' and 'Vogue'. She is the author of several books: 'Bijoux Art deco' (1984), 'Van Cleef & Arpels' (1986, 1997), 'Bijoux des annees 1940-1950' (1987), 'Salon indien' (1996) and 'Cristal de roche' (1999). Driven by a rare enthusiasm for jewellery, Olivier Baroin studied at the Louvre and entered the professional art world in 1987, aged just 17. In 2001 he also became a specialist in antique jewellery. Fascinated by the art and personality of Suzanne Belperron, he aquired her entire personal archives in 2007. His knowledge of Suzanne Belperron and almost daily inspection of her order books allows him to trace without ambiguity her original works, some of which have been mistakenly attributed to other jewellers, and also to rule out pieces that were until now wrongly considered to have been designed by her.
