Harry Winston

Born in 1896 Harry Winston has been dubbed the “King of Diamonds”. He achieved a legendary status as dealer of the worlds largest diamonds. During his life, Winston bought the Jonker (726 carats), the Hope (45.52 carats), Star of the East (94.80 carats) and the McLean (Diamond(31.26 carats).

Harry Winston’s career handling precious stones started young. He grew up working in his father’s small jewellery business. At 12 year old he recognised a two carat emerald in a pawn shop, buying it for 25 cents. He sold it two days later for $800.

The King of Diamonds

In 1926 he bought for $1.2 million the Railroad magnet’s wife Arabella Huntington’s jewellery collection. By 1932 he founded Harry Winston Inc. in New York City. Intrepid and unafraid of risk, in 1938 Winston travelled, via Brazil, to Antwerp from New York upon reading a newspaper article describing the recent discovery of a 726.60-carat rough Brazilian diamond, called the Vargas. His swift move resulted in his acquisition of the monumental stone before it was offered to any other jeweller.

In 1935, he bought the monumental Jonker, a 726-carat uncut rough diamond. From this he had cut the rough stone cut down into twelve individual stones. The largest of these was an emerald cut weighing 125.35 carats.

Jeweller to the Stars

With the fame brought by these impressive purchases, he soon became “Jeweller to the stars”. In 1944 he lent Jennifer Jones diamonds to wear at the Academy Awards, where she won Best Actress. Winston was the first jeweller to lend jewellery to an actress for an award ceremony.

In 1948 the Duke and Duchess of Windsor meet Harry Winston for the first time. They soon become loyal clients buying the 31.26 carat McLean Diamond in 1950. The McLean Diamond was bought by Winston from legendary collection of Evalyn Walsh McLean. The collection also included the Star of the East and infamous Hope Diamond. The Hope once belonged to the last French monarch, Louis XIV’s, wife Marie Antoinette.

The Burton-Taylor Diamond

In 1969 Richard Burton purchased a 68 carat South African pear-shaped diamond from Cartier for $1.1million. The sale caused a fan-fare of press and set a new record for the sale of a single diamond. The stone is now known as the Burton-Taylor diamond but was originally bought in the rough by Harry Winston upon its discovery in the Premier Mine, 1966. The rough stone weighed 241 carats and was cut into its 69.42 carat pear shape by Winston’s expert workshop. Winston originally sold it to Heiress, Harriet Annenburg Ames in 1967, but she felt it to large to wear. Elizabeth Taylor was not so shy. She proudly wore the legendary pear-shaped stone, newly set into a necklace, to Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40th birthday (November 1969) and the Academy Awards (1970).

Harry Winston Inc. Continues to collect and deal the worlds most exceptional diamonds. In 2014 the firm bought at the Magnificent Jewels sale held by Christie’s Geneva, a monumental 113.22 carat fancy vivid blue diamond. The stone is now known as the Winston Blue.

The Winston Cluster

Diamonds are Harry Winston Inc’s specialty. In the 1940s Winston and his workshop pioneer a new setting within the technique of clustering. The Winston Cluster maximizes the brilliance of each diamond.

The Sunflower Motif collection was released in 1950. another signature design produced by Harry Winston Inc. is the Holly-wreath style setting. Inspired by Winston’s enduring fascination with nature and its forms.

Winston diamonds again graced the neck of an Academy Award Best Actress winner in 1999. For the occasion Gwyneth Paltrow borrowed a 40 carat diamond choker necklace with complimentary diamond bracelet and earrings. She was so attached to the necklace that her father later bought her the necklace from Harry Winston Inc.

Harry Winston continues to be a by-word for luxury.

Winston was well aware of the historic status his purchases held. In 1949 he held a cross-country exhibition of his most important pieces. Entitled, ‘The Court of Jewels’ toured for four years (1949-1953) and the proceeds were donated to local charitable organizations.