Fortuna the Fine Jewelry Auction house in New York City will auction the estate jewels of Bokara “Bo” Legendre on April 25 at 2 p.m. Bo, daughter to Gertrude Sanford Legendre, heiress to the Sanford fortune, and Sidney Legendre, a prominent man in New Orleans, was born into incredible wealth and became a jewelry connoisseur. Although there are incredible Cartier Art Deco jewels, Jean Schlumberger, and Verdura pieces, I was taken by the rare museum-quality pieces by Suzanne Belperron.
Suzanne Belperron, creating jewels from the 1930s to the mid-1970s, was one of the first female master jewelers of the 20th century and was immediately embraced by luminaries such as the Duchess of Windsor, Josephine Baker, Gary Cooper, Daisy Fellowes, and Christian Dior. The New York Times called her “modern, before the world was,” while Karl Lagerfeld, an avid Belperron collector, said, “There’s no one else like her.” Clearly, the fashion world was in her corner.
Belperron preferred unusual materials such as chalcedony and quartz paired with diamonds and other precious colored jewels. Important items from her collection featured in this auction include a blue chalcedony Cambodian cuff accented by bezel-set sapphires (starting bid $50,000), a chalcedony floral fan brooch enhanced by six marquise-cut diamonds (starting bid $10,000), and a ring delicately carved from a single piece of chalcedony accented by three old European diamonds (starting bid $8,000).
When asked why she never signed her jewels, Belperron famously said, “My style is my signature.”
For auction details, visit Fortuna the Fine Jewelry Auction.
Suzanne Belperron Cambodian chalcedony cuff, starting bid $50,000
Suzanne Belperron sapphire chalcedony ring, starting bid $8,000
Rock crystal convertible cuff and brooch attributed to Suzanne Belperron, starting $10,000
Suzanne Belperron three-diamond chalcedony ring, starting bid $8,000
Top: Suzanne Belperron chalcedony diamond clip, starting bid $10,000
Kristin Young is writing the On Your Market blog while Brittany Siminitz is on maternity leave.
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