Harry Winston: The man behind the rocks

A third of the world’s most famous jewels once passed through the hands of the late iconic jeweller Harry Winston. These include the historical Hope diamond, the Lesotho diamond, the Jonker diamond, the Catherine the Great sapphire, the Indore Pear diamonds and the Star of the East pear-shaped diamond. So great was his passion for diamonds and other precious colored stones that he became known in the diamond and jewellery industry as the “the king of diamonds.”

In fact, Russell Shor, a senior level analyst at the Gemological Institute of America and veteran journalist who has covered the diamond industry for several years told New York Magazine, “Harry Winston associated himself with people of a certain class. He wasn’t into pop culture. The intrinsic value at Winston is still from the gems, not the design or hipness. With Winston, you got rocks. And it’s still that way.” Indeed, though the man himself passed away last Dec. 8, 1978, the legacy that he built continues today.

Red carpet Diamonds

In the summer of 1962, Harry Winston’s new jewelry designer, Ambaji Shinde, arrived in New York City from his native India. What he saw in the city — the architecture, the reflections, along with the energy and the movement — changed the course of jewelry design. By freeing diamonds from heavy metal settings and arranging them at seemingly random angles, Harry Winston transformed jewels into three-dimensional sculptures, full of movement and life. Pear, marquise and round brilliant diamonds, set and angled in perfectly matched proportion to capture the maximum light, are transformed into clusters of brilliance.

A true celebration of the diamonds, the intricate art of clustering evolves and endures in the trusted hands of Winston’s master craftsmen and designers, from the iconic Wreath Necklace, to classic Cluster Earrings, to the modern Lily Cluster collection, capturing signature Winston design distilled down to its purest form. As a result, the Cluster collection is a popular choice among celebrities for red carpet events. Gwyneth Paltrow famously wore a 40-carat Harry Winston Cluster diamond necklace, as well as a bracelet and earrings, when she won Best Actress int the Academy Awards in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love.

Exquisite timepieces

Complimenting the unsurpassable style of Winston’s legendary jewels, Harry Winston timepieces revolutionized fine watchmaking when they debuted in 1989 by exploring the creative extremes in horological design. From the sophisticated Harry Winston Avenue Collection, which recalls the glamour of New York City, to the Project Z series, crafted from Zalium (an aeronautical alloy), to the highly technical Opus series, which pushes the boundaries of haute horology, to exquisite diamond jewels that tell time — innovation and imagination are the hallmark of each Harry Winston timepiece.

In 2007, Harry Winston opened a new watchmaking facility in Geneva, the watchmaking capital of the world. Producing its own cases, bracelets and dials and using only the finest Winston diamond sand materials, the new watches reflect the brand’s continued growth and commitment to preserving and perfecting the traditions of the timepiece trade. Crafted by the finest artisans and watchmakers, the breadth and diversity of each timepiece collection caters to watch connoisseurs and collectors who recognize Harry Winston as a leader in luxury design.

Put a ring on it

“A good diamond, however small, is a possession to be prized for generations,” Harry Winston once said. The diamond king sold a number of engagement rings to many famous men to give to the lucky women in their lives. At the height of their popularity as a Hollywood couple (and shortly before the demise of their relationship), Ben Affleck famously gave Jennifer Lopez a $2.5 million, 6.1-carat Harry Winston pink diamond engagement ring. Years later, when he proposed to his current wife, Jennifer Garner, he also went to the famous jeweler and sprung for a 4.5-carat cushion cut engagement ring. Another famous rock was given to hotel heiress Paris Hilton by her former beau, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, who bought her a 24-carat canary yellow diamond engagement ring. And who could forget the famous Taylor-Burton diamond, which was 69.42 carats and purchased by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor in the ‘60s?

Each Winston diamond is hand selected by one of the world’s leading gemologists, who inspect thousands of diamonds each year, rejecting all but a precious few. Set by hand, delicate design details — the subtlety of platinum prongs, near invisible underpinnings, the grace of the ring shank — are carefully crafted to highlight the unique brilliance and beauty of each individual diamond. Using the timeless techniques that have defined their legacy of inimitable style, each diamond engagement ring is handcrafted — one ring at a time — in Harry Winston’s legendary Fifth Avenue workshop.

Charming gestures

Have you ever wished that your boyfriend would just man up and get you a Harry Winston engagement ring already? Too soon? Or don’t have a boyfriend yet? That doesn’t pose too much of an obstacle to your fantasies because you can always gift yourself with a Charms by Harry Winston bracelet with the “H.W.” Diamond Engagement Ring charm. Who says that a woman has to wait for a man to buy her a ring?

In addition to standing for “Harry Winston,” the initials on the charm can also stand for “husband and wife.” Crafted in platinum or yellow gold and set the the world’s finest diamonds, you can complement your “H.W.” Diamond Engagement Ring charm with a host of other exquisitely crafted charms, such as the HW Logo, the Harry Winston Loop, the Harry Winston Lucky Eight and the Harry Winston Peony. Or you could also drop several not-so-subtle hints to your significant other (or to the universe) and attach only “H.W.” Diamond Engagement Ring charms on your bracelet. Now who’s a rock star?

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Harry Winston is located at the G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati; tel. no. (0917) 587-4037.