Known as the “King of Diamonds” and the Jeweler to the Stars”, Harry Winston is one of the most eminent jewelry designers of the 20th century. He was the first to leverage celebrity status, draping draped actress Jennifer Jones in mega diamonds for the 1943 Academy awards. Today this is common practice for the red carpet, but at the time it was a revolutionary marketing technique. So today I wanted to share with you 3 little known facts about Harry Winston:
- Harry Winston was very discreet. Despite decking heads of state, royal dignitaries and movie stars in his dazzling creations, the man himself was very private. He even had a tiny concealed private elevator in his office so he and his VIP clients could discreetly slip in and out without being noticed.
- Indeed there was actually an ironclad clause in his business insurance policy that forbade him from showing his face publicly. Harry Winston was only photographed in the shadows or from a distance. Very few people ever even saw his face until his portrait appeared in his 1978 New York Timed obituary.
- Did you know that The Hope Diamond (which is one of the top 5 most expensive diamond in the world) was purchased by Harry Winston in 1949. The stone is rumored to be cursed due to the misfortune and tragedy that many of its previous owners experienced. The Hope diamond is believed to have been discovered in India in the 1600s. It is a 45.52 carat Fancy Dark Gray-Blue antique cushion cut diamond. The Hope Diamond is one of the most famous jewels in the world, with ownership records that go back almost four centuries. Its much-admired rare blue color and displays unusual luminescence because of the tiny impurities, due to trace amounts of boron atoms. After purchasing it, Mr Winston then donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. Winston never believed in any of the tales about the curse; and he donated the diamond with the hope that it would help the United States “establish a gem collection.”
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