Winston, Harry
HARRY WINSTON (1896-1978): AMERICAN JEWELLER
THE LIFE OF HARRY WINSTON AND HIS PASSION FOR DIAMONDS
Harry Winston was an American jeweller. Winston was the son of a modest watchmaker, and created his first company, The Premier Diamond Company, with a capital of 2000 dollars. He understood the importance of collecting unique and rare stones, with which he created a stock, which he cut up and reassembled in a more modern way. During the war he hoarded historic pieces and important diamonds. His collection is exhibited in the United States as ‘The Court of Jewels’ and Winston is nicknamed the ‘King of Diamonds’. A 45-carat blue diamond taken from a statue of Shiva, the ‘collier de l’inquisition’ in emeralds and diamonds, whose history dates back to the Incas, are among the most important pieces. In 1954, he is on Fifth Avenue in New York and he gave the famous Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institute.
THE INTERNATIONAL FORTUNE
On his death, the company was taken over by his son Ronald, a Harvard graduate. Moreover, Ronald Winston opened shops in Europe and became America’s leading jeweller. For his father’s centenary, Ronald presented the 100-carat American Rainbow Tiara worn by Brooke Shield and valued at more than $40 million. There are currently 5 shops in Tokyo, New York, Geneva, Paris and Beverly Hills, and it sells to wholesalers and retailers. It employs 1,200 people who work in the ultra-modern processes of grading and cutting diamonds. It is involved in diamond research in Africa and America and the most beautiful stones in the world have passed through his hands.
Winston’s great innovation lies in the art of setting the stones, not flatly but in such a way as to reflect the light from one stone to another. In addiction of that, the settings are so simple and unobtrusive that the stones appear to be placed directly on the skin.
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