A master craftsman works on the Harry Winston Pink Legacy ring in New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
Harry Winston Unveils an Extremely Rare 19-Carat Pink Diamond Ring
The exceptional jewel marks what would be the 125th birthday of the so-called King of Diamonds
The Winston Pink Legacy ring Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
Harry Winston’s story is a remarkable tale. The son of an American jeweler, he once spotted a dusty two-carat emerald while sifting through a tray of junk jewelry at a local pawn store and would later become one of the most important names in the jewelry world. With a discerning eye and passion for gemstones, Winston was nicknamed the “King of Diamonds” thanks to an innate ability to recognize the qualities of rough stones and bringing them to life by crafting them into astonishing creations.
To mark what would be Winston’s 125th birthday next month, his namesake jewelry house is celebrating with a magnificent ring dubbed the Winston Pink Legacy. Featuring a pink diamond weighing exactly 18.96-carats to mirror his birthday of March 1, 1896, and is on view in the New York salon on Fifth Avenue. “I love the diamond business,” Winston once said. “It is a Cinderella world. It has everything. People, drama, romance, excitement, speculation. What more could you want?”
Harry Winston in his office on Fifth Avenue in New York. Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winton
His reputation as a diamond maverick began in the early days of his storied career, as he acquired some of history’s greatest and most impressive diamonds, amassing a personal collection that at one time rivaled those of royal houses. For instance, the famous 44.5-carat Hope diamond—a rare deep-blue stone that was originally brought from India in the late 17th century and sold to King Louis XIV of France—was acquired by Winston in 1949 from the estate of Evelyn Walsh McLean. The jeweler generously donated the stone to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Harry Winston holds a handful of some of the world's most famous stones. Clockwise from top left: the 95-carat Star of the East diamond, the 45-carat Hope Diamond, the 70-carat Idol’s Eye diamond, one of the Indore pear shapes, a 62-carat emerald once owned by the Grand Duchess Valdimir of Russia, the 126-carat Jonker diamond, 337-carat Catherine the Great sapphire, 14-carat ruby and the other Indore pear shape (the two Indore diamonds weigh a total of 94 -carats). Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
He is also known for his 1935 purchase of the Jonker Diamond, a white diamond tinged with blue that weighed a staggering 726 carats in rough form, about the size of a hen’s egg and named after the prospector Jacobus Jonker, who dug it up from a farm in South Africa. After a tour around the U.S., Winston had Lazare Kaplan cut the original stone into 13 finished gems.
“It is a Cinderella world. It has everything. People, drama, romance, excitement, speculation. What more could you want?”
Harry Winston
A craftsman working on The Winston Pink Legacy ring. Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
The iconic Indore Pears, once owned by the Maharaja of Indore, meanwhile, were purchased by Winston in 1946. Under his skillful eye, Winston recut the diamonds to 44.14 and 46.39 carats and retained them in his personal collection. In 1949 they were exhibited around the country in “The Court of Jewels,” a national traveling show hosted by Winston to educate the American public.
The Winston Pink Legacy diamond. Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
The Winston Pink Legacy ring. Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
Continuing this legacy, the house acquired the sensational 18.96 carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond in November 2018. It was described by in-house specialists as “virtually unheard of,” due to its incredible size and rare color grading. The stone is certainly befitting of Winston’s legacy and the magnificent power of exceptional gemstones. This year, Harry Winston, which remains one of the world’s leading sources for diamonds of outstanding quality, is also celebrating a new campaign dedicated to the theme of love.
Cover: A master craftsman works on the Harry Winston Pink Legacy ring in New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Harry Winston
