
In the pantheon of 20th-century jewelry designers, few possessed the singular vision of Suzanne Belperron, and fewer still counted icons like fashion editor Diana Vreeland among their admirers. A Belperron cuff once owned by Vreeland was recently acquired by Siegelson, a longstanding Manhattan retailer that specializes in estate and collectible jewelry.
Dating to around 1935, the cuff is one of Belperron’s most celebrated designs: a striking platinum and silver arrangement of diamond-set triangles with a raised rock crystal lozenge of diamonds at the center.
The geometric precision of the lozenge and surrounding triangles of rock crystal reflects the cubist and futurist influences that defined early modernism, according to a statement from Siegelson announcing the acquisition. The interplay of shimmer, light, and shadow turns the piece into a miniature study of movement and contrast—a testament to Belperron’s genius.
Belperron’s aesthetic was radical for her time. Eschewing the ostentation of her contemporaries, she favored sculptural forms, unexpected materials, and an architectural approach that blurred the lines between ornament and art. She famously declared, “My style is my signature,” refusing to sign her pieces.
The designer’s work was especially appreciated by those with an eye for the avant-garde—like Vreeland, the legendary editor who reshaped Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines and later guided the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vreeland was photographed wearing this cuff at New York’s famed El Morocco nightclub in 1938.
Vreeland was not one to shy away from bold statements, and this Belperron cuff epitomizes her fearless approach to personal style. Vreeland understood that fashion and jewelry were not mere adornment but instruments of transformation.
For Siegelson, this cuff is an inheritance of style, a piece of history imbued with the spirit of two women who saw the world differently and made it infinitely more beautiful. To wear it is to carry forward that legacy.
(Photo courtesy of Siegelson)
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