Harry Winston: Discover the New Collection’s Tribute to New York

New York is the city in which Harry Winston was born and his eponymous jewellery house was established in 1932. Throughout his life, the famed jeweller and his designers drew inspiration from the different facets of New York – architecture, nature, and energy – which have continued to act as muses to the present day and prompted the birth of the latest ‘New York’ collection.

‘Fifth Avenue’, ‘Brownstone’, ‘Central Park Mosaic’, ‘Cathedral’, ‘City Lights’, ‘Eagle’, ‘Emerald Vitrine’, ‘Marble Marquetry’ and ‘Chandelier’ are the names of sub-collections that form the extensive ‘New York line. Each of them features fine jewellery interpretations of neighborhoods, buildings and landmarks that shaped Mr. Winston’s life through its own distinct aesthetic. If you want to discover Harry Winston’s New York through a kaleidoscope of precious gemstones and diamonds, all set in laconic platinum, carry on reading…

At the inception of Harry Winston’s New York narrative, we find the ‘Brownstone’ jewels. Dedicated to the homes which line the streets of the brand founder’s birthplace on the Upper West Side, these suites employ a pattern of baguette cut, round brilliant and marquise shaped diamonds, accented by colorful combinations of blue and yellow sapphires, or turquoise with blue sapphires embellishing a long pendant necklace and drop earrings.

The first location of Harry Winston’s office was directly across from New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral – meaning Mr. Winston was greeted with a view of the impressive structure daily. The ‘Cathedral’ necklace and earrings with spectacular pear-shaped emeralds and baguette diamond frame mimic the shapes and architecture of this neo-gothic building. 

Central Park’s proximity to Harry Winston’s office also meant that he and his designers would often turn to this iconic location when looking for inspiration in nature. The ‘Central Park Mosaic’ suite includes earrings, a bracelet and ring which all feature an array of emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and aquamarines in a mixture of cuts, mirroring an aerial view of Central Park.

The Eagle figure at the entrance of the Grand Central Depot represents the story of where Harry met Edna – his wife and the love of his life. The ‘Eagle’ sub-series exhibits of colourless diamonds set to resemble the formation of feathers in bird’s wings while the central fancy yellow diamonds allude to the gold colour of the eagle statue. 

Married in 1933, Harry Winston and his wife Edna often attended Broadway shows. The ‘City Lights’ pieces embody bright streets illuminations through colourless diamonds surrounding the heroic, vivid colours of yellow diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires in clusters of mixed cuts.

Exploring the ‘Fifth Avenue’ sub-collection, it is impossible to miss an elegant sapphire and diamond suite, comprised of a necklace, bracelet earrings and ring. The traffic which flows through the Flatiron District led to the creation of the pearl and diamond draperie suite, whereas one of New York’s most important destinations – the Rockefeller Center – is interpreted in the sapphire and diamond suite, mimicking the aerial view of the building.

The structure of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Fifth Avenue entryway was the source of inspiration for the ‘Crossover Diamond’ suite set with an array of round brilliant, marquise shaped and tapered baguette diamonds. The mansions built along Fifth Avenue – ‘Millionaire’s Row’ – feature tapered triangular tops.

The ‘718’ sub-series celebrates the details of the House’s iconic New York City Flagship Salon at 718 Fifth Avenue – where Harry Winston moved his company in March 1960. The ‘Marble Marquetry’ diamond and sapphire sets reflects the black and white marble patterned flooring of the atelier through similarly shaped motifs. At the same time the diamond ‘Chandelier’ set imitates the glittering lights and crystals of the gilded chandelier that illuminates the salon. Recalling Harry Winston’s favorite asscher diamond cut – the ‘Emerald Vitrine’ pieces pair Colombian emeralds with a combination of baguette, marquise and round brilliant diamonds.

With many necklaces featuring draping appendages or Y-shaped designs finished with glittering briolettes, collar length necklaces, drop earrings, and geometric facets of baguettes – as is to be expected with a collection dedicated to a city with many iconic buildings from the Art Deco period – much of this aesthetic is present in Harry Winston’s own ‘New York’.