Suzanne Belperron was born Madeleine Suzanne Vuillerme on September 26, 1900 in Saint-Claude, France. Befriending Germaine Boivin, daughter of René Boivin, while they were both students, she joined the Boivin firm as a modelist-designer. She was a great success at Maison René Boivin rising to the rank of co-director.

In 1924 she married Jean Belperron, an engineer. Seeking to make a name for herself, Suzanne resigned her position with Maison René Boivin in 1932 accepting a position working with pearl and gemstone merchant Bernard Herz. She was given free reign at Maison Bernard Herz and it was here she gained acclaim in her own right, becoming a major figure in the jewelry world alongside such luminaries as Cartier, Boucheron and Van Cleef.

Belperron created distinctive, unusual jewelry. Her designs responded to the desires of a younger generation who wanted bolder, more distinctive designs. Combining large, sculptural, carved semi-precious stones with diamonds and other precious gems, she created a bold, dramatic effect. Her clients, discreetly by word of mouth, and notables such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Fred Astaire and the Duchess of Windsor called on her personally to make their selections.

After the war Belperron partnered with Herz’s son Jean and revived the name Herz-Belperron. This partnership remained in place until her retirement in 1974. The company was dissolved in December of 1975. The rights to Herz-Belperron designs were sold in 1998 to Ward Landrigan of Verdura where they still craft and sell the designs under the name Belperron.

Believing that her work needed no identification, she never signed a piece. She was known to say ‘My style is my signature.’