Born Madeleine Suzanne Marie Claire Vuillerme in Saint-Claude, France, in 1900, Suzanne Belperron studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Besançon before moving to Paris to begin her career in jewellery design. She first gained prominence with Maison René Boivin, where her early work challenged the prevailing Art Deco rigidity with fluid, sensual shapes.

In 1932 Belperron embarked on her independent path with Bernard Herz, establishing a jewellery house that consistently defied convention. She blended precious and semi-precious materials with daring combinations and sculptural forms that were unlike anything else of her time. Her approach was so distinctive that she famously refused to sign her pieces, declaring, “My style is my signature.”

Belperron’s clients included some of the most sophisticated figures of the twentieth century — from fashion icons to aristocracy — and her designs continue to be celebrated for their originality, elegance, and refined artistic expression.