On December 8, Sotheby’s New York will offer part of a major French arts patron’s collection at auction. Highlights include about twenty Suzanne Belperron pieces and a handful by René Boivin. Bidding is expected to be brisk.
By Sandrine Merle.
These pieces by Suzanne Belperron and René Boivin were collected by the owner’s husband, who continued a collection started by his mother. She commissioned many of the pieces directly from Suzanne Belperron. “You can feel that it was put together by two different people, with more classicism on the one hand and more character on the other,” notes Olivier Baroin, an expert on Suzanne Belperron.
Diving into the archives
Olivier Baroin traced the five fuchsia diamond brooches delivered by Suzanne Belperron in 1949. One can imagine these marvels cascading down the lapel of a jacket… In 1972, they reappeared in the archives: the designer was then considering suspending them on a fine gold Berber necklace. This explains why, on the back of each of these brooches, the original pin has been replaced by a swan neck. Apparently, this necklace never made it past the design stage. The pendant necklace was born out of a desire to transform a classic piece that the customer had grown tired of, a diamond river: Suzanne Belperron took it apart and added a delightful assortment of pink topazes and icy blue aquamarines, cut into pear, cushion, half-moon, and marquise shapes.
A centerpiece: the chalcedony bracelet
This cuff bracelet topped with an amethyst cabochon is one of the oldest pieces in the sale, dating from 1934. Its value lies above all in the extraordinary work of Adrien Louart, considered the greatest gem cutter of all time. In the 1930s, he developed the Mysterious Setting for Van Cleef & Arpels. He formed an unparalleled partnership with Suzanne Belperron: she designed the jewelry and he brought it to life. “Virtually no one today is capable of hand-carving this piece from a single block of chalcedony,” says Olivier Baroin. “He probably used electric lathes to rough-cut and hollow out the material, but the decoration and details were done freehand.” We also remember his Cambodian bracelet, carved from a single block of smoky quartz.
An exceptional collection of rock crystal jewelry
The collection of rock crystal pieces, perfectly uniform, is spectacular. Suzanne Belperron was fond of this stone, which she usually combined with diamonds. The magic of transparency set in transparency… This sale features single and double clips, fan-shaped or octagonal, as well as a wrap bracelet. How can one not be fascinated by the effects achieved by juxtaposing cut rock crystal, which catches the light, and slightly flat old-cut white diamonds, which diffract it infinitely… On one clip, the mirror effect is created by the superposition of gadrooned rock crystal placed on a small plate of either steel or highly polished platinum.
Belperron or Boivin?
Sublime carpette (a term evoking a panther skin on the floor) by Juliette Moutard dating from the late 1960s, possibly the early 1970s. Fully articulated, it is worn on the lapel of a jacket but is mainly placed on the shoulder, where it fits the curve perfectly. The sapphires were cut on site (specifically for this piece) to achieve an extremely flat stained-glass effect that highlights the protruding head. Could this also be seen as the influence of Jacques Bernard, who joined Boivin after spending many years making panthers for Cartier? The clips raise the eternal question of attribution between Boivin and Belperron, who never signed their jewelry. It should be noted that the designer created jewelry for Boivin until her departure in 1932, before taking over the reins of the Hertz-Belperron company. For about ten years, before her replacement Juliette Moutard made her mark, it was difficult to say with certainty whether her jewelry was for Hertz Belperron or René Boivin.
For Thomas Torroni-Levene the guardian of the Maison Boivin since 2019 and Olivier Baroin, “Suzanne Belperron’s role at René Boivin between 1919 and 1932 is now recognized, so there is no longer any point in trying to attribute these pieces of jewelry to one or the other. The credit simply goes to Belperron, the designer. »
Auction at Sotheby’s New York, 8 décembre 2025
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René Boivin and Suzanne Belperron, the inseparable pair
The Suzanne Belperron phenomenon
