In 1919 Suzanne Belperron began her lifelong journey designing jewelry so unique she rarely signed her name to it; her colorful compositions of gems and pure, sensual, organic forms became her unmistakable trademark, recognizable at a glance.Illustrated here is a splendid array of Belperron’s work, from the earliest sketches made while she was a student and designs made for René Boivin in the 1920s and 1930s to the original designs she created for Hollywood clientele such as Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, and Lauren Bacall as well as fashion icons and the cream of British aristocracy. Numerous hand-colored drawings and original designs, selected from the largest archive of her work (nearly all unpublished), are matched with an impressive range of finished pieces.Part 1 follows Belperron’s rise to fame, through six chapters based on private records from the Belperron family and those of the expert craftsmen with whom she collaborated. Part 2 presents a portfolio of some of the rarest, most delicate, and most refined examples of her work, combined with the best of over 4,000 sketches from the Belperron archive.

The exquisite creations of Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) are noted for their glorious exuberance and refined glamour. Verdura left his ancestral home in Palermo in the mid-1920s and moved to Paris where he hoped to be a painter; his true vocation was revealed once he began designing striking jewelry for the discriminating customers of Coco Chanel.

Patricia Corbett documents Verdura's fascinating career, which took him from Paris to Los Angeles and New York. He was patronized by the rich and famous, who found that his sophisticated and flamboyant neo-Baroque style perfectly complemented their tastes. Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, among others, were devoted admirers, along with many of society's prominent figures, including the Duchess of Windsor and legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland.

Corbett was given access to all of Verdura's archives and interviewed many of his surviving patrons. Wonderful color photography of the jewelry, as well as the archival images of Verdura and the people who wore his pieces, bring the irresistible beauty and genius of Verdura's designs to life.