news + notes. Suzanne Belperron and Aimée de Heeren: A Friendship, a Necklace, a Rediscovery BY SOTHEBY'S | APR 7, 2020 Never before seen on the international jewelry market, nor offered for sale at auction, a necklace by Suzanne Belperron (1900-1983) will be offered in Sotheby’s Joaillerie Paris sale on 10 June, as international dealers and collectors are all on high alert wondering who will win the bidding war for this piece, emblematic of Belperron's oevre. “It is an exceptional piece from a private European collection, which I had never seen other than in a photograph carefully kept in the personal archives by the designer herself”, explains Olivier Baroin, expert for Suzanne Belperron and keeper of the designer’s own archives. “This necklace is, without a doubt, not a unique piece; it is one of those that was created at the end of the 1930s and then reproduced by the designer over decades”. How many of these necklaces might exist? Difficult to be certain according to Baroin: ”Other pieces will probably resurface onto the market once this one has been revealed to both the press and the public. I cannot imagine that a piece of jewelry such as this would have been taken apart when handed down to any heirs: the aesthetic of this necklace, itself a true work of art, supersedes in this instance its intrinsic value.” Influenced by the growing interest in African art, which was enthusiastically collected by French artists at the start of the 20th century, Suzanne Belperron designed this signature necklace at the end of the 1930s. The below drawing depicts a more slender variation of the necklace to be sold this Spring... read entire story at sothebys.com
insight – 14 – q3 2020
