Harry Winston at the Oscars

As the glamorous and famous walk down the red carpet, tonight at the 84th Oscar Academy Awards,  amidst flashing camera bulbs and awestruck onlookers, one can be sure that glinting in the lights is jewelry from Harry Winston. One of the most reminiscent Oscar winning visions is that of Gwyneth Paltrow, 2011 Baume & Mercier's ambassador, accepting the 1999 Best Actress Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love." Above a pale pink dress glittered a 40 carat diamond Harry Winston necklace.

Harry Winston has been adding to the razzle dazzle on the red carpet since the 1943 Academy Awards when Harry Winston adorned Jennifer Jones, Best actress for "The song of Bernadette", in glamorous jewels. Each year, on the night of the Academy Awards, Harry Winston lends $200 million worth of exceptional jewelry. Harry Winston is known as jeweler to the stars and has outfitted numerous celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, and Salma Hayek.

It is hard to believe Harry Winston came from humble beginnings. Son of Jacob Winston, a Ukrainian immigrant, Harry used his incredible wit and exceptional sense of fine gems to surge ahead. His father opened up a small jewelery store in which Harry worked as a boy. He was just 12 years old when he spied a two carat emerald in a pawn shop, recognizing the gem for what it was, he bought it for 25 c and sold it two days later for $800. Harry Winston became legendary in the jewelry business and a part of the legend of "The Hope Diamond". Towards the end of its long journey from hand to hand, the Hope Diamond was sold by Pierre Cartier to U.S. socialite, Evelyn Walsh McLean. After her death in 1947, her grandchildren sold the Hope Diamond,,in 1949, to Harry Winston. It is said the Hope Diamond cursed those who owned it, but Harry Winston never believed the curse, and died from a heart attack at 82 on December 28th, 1978. Harry died long after he had donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958 as a gift to the American People, sending it to its final destination via the U.S Mail in a plain brown bag. He probably figured it could take care of itself as it did keep popping up throughout history.


In 1989 Harry Winston successor, his son, Ronald, establishes Harry Winston's first series of watches, The Ultimate Timepieces. Currently Harry Winston has five main timepiece collections:
The Avenue Collection, The Ocean Collection, The Premier Collection, The Signature Collection, and The Ultimate Collection. Harry Winston has 80 years of jewelry making to apply to its watches, so that the bracelets and bezels are provided with the art of jewelry making, bearing the best possible gems, and the movement is crafted by hand. Harry Winston has introduced incredible complication crafted with the utmost perfection that has carved a niche in the world of watchmaking.


Finally I have posted the song, by Marylin Monroe, "Diamonds are a girls best friend," Listen close and Harry Winston will be mentioned.