Artist Research: Suzanne Belperron

 In this post I will be looking at Suzanne Belperron's work and how it influenced mine. 

Chalcedony, natural pearl and cultured pearl brooch, circa 1955 

Fig. 1.  Belperron, S. Chalcedony, natural pearl and cultured pearl brooch, 1955

  Belperron used expensive materials and gemstones for most of her works, such as diamonds and sapphires. Pearls, gold and chalcedony in this case. While I do not have access to these materials, I can replicate them with resin and fake gemstones. Belperron's work often includes subtle waves in the base and many of her works included leaves and branches made with gemstones (Antique Jewelry University, 2024). Most of her jewellery was multi-purpose as well, for example a brooch that could be worn as a bracelet (Antique Jewelry University, 2024). The brooch pictured above is monotonous in colour, yet still has a lot of depth and dimension due to the variety in the sizes of the beads and the leaf.


A Rare Cultured Pearl and Diamond 'Flower and Berries' Brooch, Suzanne Belperron, Circa Mid-20th Century 

Fig. 2. Belperron, S. Flower and Berries Brooch, mid 20th century

Belperron valued wear-ability and made her jewellery in proportion to the body and the way it was meant to be worn (Horyn, 2012). Her work inspired the bracelet in my collection, the colours and beads especially. The colours will be inspired from gemstones such as agate and aventurine. The flowers will be made from resin with a subtle sheerness and colour.


References:

Antique Jewelry University (2024). Belperron | Antique Jewelry University. [online] ANTIQUE JEWELRY UNIVERSITY. Available at: https://www.langantiques.com/university/belperron/ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024]. 

Horyn, C. (2012). Modern, Before the World Was. The New York Times. [online] 19 Dec. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/fashion/the-legacy-of-suzanne-belperron-jeweler.html [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024].

Image References:

Fig. 1. Belperron, S. (1955). Chalcedony, natural pearl and cultured pearl brooch. [Chalcedony, Gold, Saltwater Pearls] Phillips Auctioneers. Available at: https://www.phillips.com/detail/suzanne-belperron/CH060224/393 [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024]. 

Fig. 2. Belperron, S. (1933 - 1967). Flower and Berries Brooch. [Diamonds, Pearls, Platinum and White Gold] Phillips Auctioneers. Available at: https://www.phillips.com/detail/suzanne-belperron/HK060119/551 [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024].






Comments

  1. Sam DarganAugust 19, 2024 at 4:45 AM

    What about the concepts behind Belperron's works? Did that have any impact on your project ideas.

    Found the link below as well to give you a bit more background - rather than create another artist research post, you could used examples from this link to tie in with your work as we get closer to the deadline:
    https://www.lillicoco.com/blogs/love-lillicoco-blog/three-key-20th-century-jewellery-movements-you-need-to-know-about
    (Jeanne Bolvin's work is interesting as is Sam Kramer's although maybe not so relevant)

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