World famous jeweler: the name behind the design.
Part 1: Harry Winston
Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Harry Winston-all famous jewelers and household names. We saw their designs on the red carpet, as well as Boucheron, Faberge, Piaget, etc. These companies are more than just brands. They are the enthusiasm and creativity of people who love high-quality, fashionable jewelry and want to make their mark in the emerging industry. In this special blog series, we will explore the history of these famous jewelers and how they started their journey. Along the way, we will find some interesting tidbits, such as:
The story tells that Harry Winston bought two carats of emeralds for 25 cents when he was 12 years old. He recognized the value and sold it for $800 in two days.
In 1904, when Louis Cartier chatted with his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, he realized the necessity of watches. Santos complained about the difficulty of flying when using a pocket watch. This is Cartier’s inspiration for creating watches.
Frédéric Boucheron, the founder of Boucheron Paris, was the first jeweller to move to Place Vendôme. It is said that he especially chose the sunniest corner of the square, so that the diamonds on the windows have extra brilliance.
Peter Carl Fabergé (Peter Carl Fabergé) made the first Faberge egg for the Russian Tsar Alexander III to his wife Empress Maria in 1885. The Czar ordered another egg in the second and second year. Faberge’s design was completely free, and the Czar did not know what would happen.
Georges Édouard Piaget’s first workshop was on his family’s farm in the small Swiss village of La Côte-aux-Fées in the Jura. He is committed to perfecting the cheapest watches mechanism to reduce the size of the timepiece.
We know these names and have heard of these heritages, but now it is time to learn more about the identities of these well-known jewelers. Every story begins with dreams and determination. Each story inspires us to appreciate the glory of building an empire. Each story provides insights for the inspiration of timeless design.
In the first article of this series, we will take a closer look at the diamond jewelry giant swiss Harry Winston.
Famous jeweler: Harry Winston, King of Diamonds
The legendary Harry Winston (Harry Winston) was born on March 1, 1896. Winston’s father Jacob (Jacob) ran a small jewellery shop, and Harry has been helping in the shop since he was very young. The story goes like this: 12-year-old Harry Winston (Harry Winston) bought two carats of emeralds from a pawn shop for 25 cents, hitting symbolic gold. Realizing its value, he turned around and sold it for $800 in two days.
Start with modesty
At the age of 19, Harry Winston used his savings of $2,000 to start the Premier Diamond Company. Within 2 years, he founded a company worth $30,000. When one of his employees ran out of all his stock and cash, he was unfortunately hit. Winston was not afraid and used the remaining money to buy jewelry from real estate sales. He took the gems from the outdated environment and reshaped them into a modern style and sold them at high prices. His fame increased when he acquired Arabella Huntington’s famous jewelry collection. By 1932, his wealth and business had been rebuilt, and Harry Winston closed the Premier Diamond Company and opened Harry Winston Inc.. Winston continued to design elegant and timeless jewelry with real estate jewelry.
Harry Winston used his vision to make big deals and continued his success in the diamond industry. In 1935, he bought a 726-carat Jonker diamond for $700,000. This famous diamond is the seventh largest rough diamond on record. He sent it to the New York headquarters through the U.S. Post Office for a total of 64 cents. The diamond is cut into twelve individual gems, the largest being an emerald cut diamond of 125.35 carats. After buying and selling diamonds, Harry Winston’s fame continued to grow worldwide.
As the years passed, Harry Winston’s luck has been good. Highlights of these years include the 1940s, when Harry and his designers developed cluster technology, the style of the work is based on a single diamond rather than a metal setting, thereby maximizing the brilliance of the stone. Today, more than 70 years later, this design continues to this day.
Winston on the red carpet
We are all looking forward to the jewels worn by the stars on the red carpet. Many people borrow high fashion, which is a tradition when luxury Harry Winston lent diamonds to Jennifer Jones to win the Oscar in 1944. Jennifer won the best actress award that night. This move earned him the title of “Star Jeweler”.
“Talk to me, Harry Winston! Tell me everything!” Marilyn Monroe sang in the famous song “Diamonds Are Girls’ Best Friend” in the movie “Gentlemen prefer blondes.” The film was released in 1953, more than 20 years after Harry Winston opened a store, and is considered the “king of diamonds.”
“Talk to me, Harry Winston! Tell me everything!” Marilyn Monroe sang in the famous song “Diamonds Are Girls’ Best Friend” in the movie “Gentlemen prefer blondes.” The movie was released in 1953, more than 20 years after Harry Winston opened a store, and is considered the “king of diamonds.”
Diamonds to the world
In 1958, Harry Winston gave a gift to the world by generously donating the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. With the Hope Diamond, the museum was able to establish their national gem collection.
In 1966, Harry Winston bought a 241 carat rough diamond. He cut it into flawless 69.42 carat pear-shaped diamonds. The diamond was sold to Harriet Annenberg Eames. She auctioned it to Cartier, who sold the diamond to Elizabeth Taylor’s husband Richard Burton for more than $1 million. Renamed to Taylor-Burton diamond, it was originally placed on a ring and later renamed as a necklace.
After working in the diamond industry for a lifetime, replica Harry Winston died in 1978 at the age of 82. His legacy continues through Harry Winston Inc.’s jewelry. Today, you can see his works worn by royalty, celebrities and museums are timeless works of art.