To fill the long winter months, the inhabitants of the Jura region had developed over the centuries a wide array of traditional crafts, including the art of cutting stones.

In the studio of the Expressionist painter Gen Paul in Montmartre, Belperron met the writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, the actors Robert Le Vigan and Arletty, and the playwright René Fauchois.

At Boivin, Belperron made a name for herself with designs that set precious stones in semi-precious materials like chalcedony, rock crystal, and smoky quartz.

Based in her private salon at 59 rue de Châteaudun in Paris, Belperron secured the services of the stonecutter Adrien Louart (1890–1989) and appointed Groëné et Darde as her exclusive manufacturer.

[16] Almost every month,[17] her creations appeared[18] alongside those of jewellers such as Cartier, Boucheron or Van Cleef & Arpels in luxury fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, with the regular collaboration of well-known photographers, notably George Hoyningen-Huene and Horst P.

As an unrivalled colourist,[22] the essence of Belperron's work was her ability to play with aesthetic influences from many sources and motifs inspired by nature.

[26] Trained at the height of the Art Deco movement, Belperron softened its linear aesthetic, using materials and designs other jewellers had not yet explored.

[25] One of the techniques Belperron used is the "Honeycomb Setting", in which she combined gemstones of different sizes to achieve a harmony of colors and a impacting visual effect.

Knowing that the future of the business rested solely on her shoulders, Belperron never stopped working during the war, despite the difficulties she experienced in obtaining the materials for making the jewels.

[37] In a last letter, dated 21 February 1943, sent from the Drancy internment camp, Bernard Herz entrusted his affairs to Belperron, along with his will, and asked her to protect the interests of Aline and Jean, his children.

[34] At the start of 1945, Belperron moved from her Montmartre flat to 14 rue d'Aumale in Paris, a short distance from the reception rooms of the Herz-Belperron jewellery house.

Her address was only ever given out discreetly, by word of mouth, to chosen clients who had been attracted by the originality of her works, thus ensuring her increasing renown both in France and all over the world.

[39] As a matter of utmost importance before carrying out any order, Belperron always found out about her client's lifestyle, and also studied the contours of her face, the complexion of her skin and the shape of her hands.

She also attracted clients from the worlds of arts and show business, (actors, comedians, playwrights, dancers and singers), such as Colette, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Ganna Walska, María Félix, Arno Breker, Josephine Baker, Raoul Dufy, Daisy Fellowes, Alice Cocéa, Merle Oberon, Françoise Rosay, Mary Bell, Charles Boyer, Harry Baur, Louise de Vilmorin, Jean Cocteau and Gary Cooper.

From the world of fashion, the names include notably her friends Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Jeanne Lanvin.

The world of politics included names such as Paul Reynaud, Léon Blum, Maurice Couve de Murville, Gaston Palewski and Houphouët-Boigny.

The Cross was presented to her by her great friend Jean Marchat, member of the Resistance during World War II, Légion d'Honneur and Secretary of the Comédie-Française.

[43] Despite the popularity of her designs in her own time, Belperron's name was largely forgotten until the prestigious jewellery auction in Geneva on 2 and 3 April 1987 by Sotheby's of the Duchess of Windsor's collection of jewels and precious objects.

[45] Brought to the fore by the sale of the jewels belonging to the Duchess of Windsor, Belperron's work was finally recognised and highly valued.

Hans Nadelhoffer (1940–1988), an expert from Christie's jewellery department in Geneva, known for its reference monograph devoted to Cartier, planned,[43] in 1981, a book about Belperron's work.

[59] "Suzanne Belperron is the most talented and influential jewelry designer of the 20th century": these were the words with which David Bennett, now Global Chairman of the International Jewellery Division of Sotheby's, opened the landmark sale on May 14, 2012, in Geneva.

[60] This sale showcased the jewelry from Suzanne Belperron's private collection, originating from her personal jewel box discovered during her estate settlement in 2007.

[61] In September, the chalcedony and sapphire set, crafted by Suzanne Belperron for the Duchess of Windsor in 1935, was showcased by the Siegelson house at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris.

[67] In December 2014, Hôtel Drouot showcased a necklace and bracelet set characteristic of the Belperron style in terms of its volume and its delicate velvety blue shades.

[56] In June 2016, the Aguttes auction house in Paris showcased a significant platinum ring consisting of a wide curved band paved with rubies and accentuated with small diamonds.

[68] At Christie's “Magnificent Jewels” sale in New York in December 2018, a "tube" bracelet in platinum and 18-carat white gold adorned with old-cut diamonds soared to $852,500, while its initial estimate was between $200,000 and $300,000.

[69] This piece of jewelry was created in 1935, as evidenced by a document countersigned by the hand of the designer, sourced from the personal archives preserved by Olivier Baroin.