Harry Winston
Encyclopedia
Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond
Portuguese Diamond
The Portuguese Diamond is an unusual octagonal-cut diamond known for its flawlessness and clarity. It weighs and is regarded as one of the world's most magnificent diamond gems.The Portuguese Diamond gives out a strong fluorescence under ultraviolet light...
to the Smithsonian in 1963.
History
Harry Winston's father Jacob started a small jewelry business after he and Harry's mother immigrated to the United States from UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. He worked in his father's shop growing up, and legend has it that when he was just 12 years old, he recognized a two-carat emerald in a pawn shop, bought it for 25 cents, and sold it two days later for $800.
Winston's jewelry empire began with his acquisition of Arabella Huntington
Arabella Huntington
Arabella Yarrington "Belle" Huntington was the second wife of American railway tycoon and industrialist Collis P. Huntington, and then the second wife of Henry E. Huntington...
's famous jewelry collection. The wife of railroad magnate Henry Huntington, Arabella amassed one of the world's most prestigious collections of jewelry largely from Parisian jewelers such as Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
.
When Winston purchased the collection after her death, the designs of the collection were quite old fashioned. Winston redesigned the jewelry into more contemporary styles and showcased his unique skill at jewelry crafting. According to the Huntington museum, "He frequently boasted that Arabella's famous necklace of pearls now adorned the necks of at least two dozen women around the world."
Winston was among the most famous jewelers in the world, well-known to the general public. In the 1953 musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , which was written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin...
" includes the spoken interjection "Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!" The Lauren Weisberger
Lauren Weisberger
Lauren Weisberger is an American novelist and author of the 2003 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada, a speculated roman à clef of her real life experience as a put-upon assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour....
comic novel Chasing Harry Winston was published in May 2008.
Today, the Harry Winston Diamond Corporation operates eight salons in the U.S., in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Dallas, Honolulu, Bal Harbour, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and Costa Mesa and twelve salons in other countries.
Important diamonds Winston owned
- The HopeHope DiamondThe Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
(45.52 carats (9.1 g), Fancy Dark Grayish-Blue, antique cushion brilliant) - Porter Rhodes (53 carats (10.6 g), colorless, Asscher cut)
- The PortuguesePortuguese DiamondThe Portuguese Diamond is an unusual octagonal-cut diamond known for its flawlessness and clarity. It weighs and is regarded as one of the world's most magnificent diamond gems.The Portuguese Diamond gives out a strong fluorescence under ultraviolet light...
(127.01 carats (25.4 g), faint yellow with strong blue fluorescence, antique emerald cut) - The Crown of Charlemagne (37.05 carats (7.4 g), sky blue, Old European cut brilliant)
- The Briolette of India (90.38 carats (18.1 g), colorless, briolette cut)
- The Qamar-I-Sultana (44 carats (8.8 g), colorless, marquise cut)
- The Arcots (33.70 and 23.65 carats (4.7 g), recut by Winston to 31.01 and 18.85 carats (3.8 g), respectively. Stones were originally thought to be a match but when Winston bought them, removed them from their setting and discovered they were not, he decided to recut them slightly to improve their clarity and brilliance. Both were either colorless or near-colorless, and antique pear-shaped brilliants.)
- The Anastasia (Three emerald cuts weighing 42.95, 30.90 and 22.88 carats (4.6 g), all D color and Flawless clarity. Cut from a rough crystal weighing 307.3 carats (61.5 g) Winston had purchased in 1972, largest gem named after Anastasia NikolaevnaGrand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of RussiaGrand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna....
, daughter of Czar Nicholas IINicholas II of RussiaNicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
. - The Ashoka (Originally 42.47 carats (8.5 g), colorless, modified elongated cushion brilliant. Purchased by Winston from an Indian dealer in 1947; subsequently sold and repurchased several times by the firm. Stone was recut slightly in 1977 from its original weight of 42.47 carats (8.5 g) before it was sold again as a ring.)
- The Cornflower Blue (31.93 carats (6.4 g) pear brilliant; 12.39 carats (2.5 g) round brilliant, blue, cut from 158 carats (31.6 g) South African rough which Winston purchased in 1958. The larger stone was sold in 1969 as the pendant for a diamond necklace. Winston repurchased it two years later, then sold it to a Middle Eastern client. The round brilliant was set as a ring and sold in 1969. In 1987 the pear brilliant was auctioned in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Countess Széchényi (62.05 carats (12.4 g), D color, pear-shaped brilliant. Purchased by Winston in 1959 from namesake and recut to a flawless 59.38 carats (11.9 g). Sold to an American industrialist in 1966.)
- The Deepdene (104.52 carats (20.9 g), yellow, antique cushion brilliant. Purchased by Winston in 1954 from Cary W. Bok, then sold the following year to Mrs. Eleanor Loder of Canada. Resurfaced in 1971 and put up for auction at Christie'sChristie'sChristie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in Geneva. This stone is also the largest known diamond to receive irradiation treatmentDiamond enhancementDiamond enhancements are specific treatments, performed on natural diamonds , which are designed to improve the gemological characteristics — and therefore the value — of the stone in one or more ways...
, which improved its color. - The Deal Sweetener (45.31 carats (9.1 g) plus four smaller stones, D color and Flawless, emerald cut. In 1974 Winston bought a large parcel of diamonds worth $24,500,000—at that time the largest individual sale of diamonds in history. Harry OppenheimerHarry OppenheimerHarry Frederick Oppenheimer was a prominent South African businessman and one of the world's richest men...
, head of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd.De BeersDe Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
, arranged the transaction. When Winston asked Oppenheimer, "How about a little something to sweeten the deal?" Harry Oppenheimer pulled a 181 carats (36.2 g) rough diamond out of his pocket and rolled it across the table. Winston picked up the stone, smiled, and said simply, "Thanks." It was cut into five gems, the largest being named the Deal Sweetener. Other gems cut from the crystal: An emerald cut of 24.67 carats (4.9 g), plus three pear shapes of 10.80, 4.19 and 1.45 carats (290 mg), respectively. All were sold that same year.) - The Blue Heart (30.82 carats (6.2 g), blue, heart-shaped brilliant. Cut by the firm of Atanik Eknayan in Neuilly, FranceNeuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
sometime before Cartier sold it to the Unzue family of Argentina in 1910. It reappeared in Paris in 1953 where it was purchased by an important European titled family, then purchased by Harry Winston in 1959. Winston mounted it in a ring and sold it to Marjorie Merriweather PostMarjorie Merriweather Post-External links:******...
, who lated donated it to the Smithsonian Institution.) - Étoile du Désert (50.67 carats (10.1 g), D-color, pear-shaped brilliant. Acquired by Winston in 1977 and mounted in a diamond necklace. Sold the same year to a Saudi Arabian prince. The necklace contained over 250 carats (50 g) of diamonds, among them a 16 carats (3.2 g) D-color Flawless clarity marquise cut.)
- The Idol's Eye (70.2 carats (14 g), Light Blue, semi-triangular modified antique brilliant. Allegedly first seen in 1607 when the East India Company seized the stone from its owner, a Persian prince named Ragab, as payment for debts. Resurfaced in 1906 in the possession of Sultan Abdul Hamid IIAbdul Hamid IIHis Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. The stone, along with the Hope Diamond and Star of the East, were stolen from the sultan by his messenger and sold to French pawn shops. The stones were intended to provide a comfortable retirement for the sultan. Appeared at the June 1909 auction held in Paris by gem dealer/collector Selim Habib, where it was purchased by a Spanish nobleman. It then came into the possession of a London bank and eventually was bought by a Dutch diamond dealer, from whom Winston purchased the stone in November 1946. Winston sold the diamond in 1947 to Mrs. May Bonfils Stanton, daughter of the publisher and co-founder of the Denver Post. It was mounted as the center stone in a diamond necklace with eighty-six other diamonds totalling 35 carats (7 g). In 1963, after Mrs. Stanton's death, the gem was sold at auction in New York City. Legendary jeweler Lawrence GraffLawrence GraffLaurence Graff is an English jeweller. He is best known as a supplier of unique jewellery and rare jewels to the wealthy. In 2008, he bought the Wittelsbach Diamond for £16.4 million...
of London also owned the stone.) - The Indore Pears (46.95 and 46.7 carats (9.3 g) but later recut to 44.62 and 44.18 carats (8.8 g) respectively, colorless, both pear-shaped antique brilliants. Originally owned by MaharajaMaharajaMahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Tukoji Rao III HolkarHolkarThe Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
who was forced to abdicate due to a scandal in 1926. Despite his abdication he remained very wealthy and retained the diamonds. He married American Nancy Anne Miller in 1928 amid much international publicity. Miller converted to HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and after marrying was known as Maharani Shamista Devi Holkar. Winston purchased the two diamonds in 1946 from the former maharaja and his wife, both of whom had worn the stones on many occasions. The gems were recut to 44.62 and 44.18 carats (8.8 g) and were featured as his 'Court of Jewels' exhibit. Winston sold the gems in 1953 to a client from PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and repurchased them in 1958. They were then sold to a New York client and were once again purchased in 1976 and sold to a member of a royal family. In 1981 and again in 1987 the two famous diamonds were sold at auction in GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.) - The JonkerThe JonkerThe Jonker diamond was found at the Elandsfontein mine in South Africa by Johannes Jacobus Jonker on January 17, 1934. The diamond was 726 carats, which at the time was the fourth largest uncut gem ever found. The diamond was found 5 km away from the largest diamond ever found, the Cullinan...
(Twelve gems, the largest weighing 125.35 carats (25.1 g), colorless, various shapes. Discovered as a 726 carats (145.2 g) rough crystal in January 1934 and purchased by Winston from the Diamond Producers Association in London in 1935. It was the first time a major diamond crystal was cleaved in the United States. The largest diamond, the Jonker I, was a 142.9 carats (28.6 g) emerald cut, but it was recut in 1937 to 125.35 carats (25.1 g) to give it a more oblong outline. Winston is said to have loved the stone and refused to sell it for many years, using it instead for display at various charitable exhibitions, set in a platinumPlatinumPlatinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
necklace with 110 baguette-cut diamonds. He sold the gem in 1951 to King FaroukFarouk of EgyptFarouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
of EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, who went into exile the following year, taking the gem with him. It was unheard of until 1959 when it was rumored that Queen Ratna of Nepal had been seen wearing it. It was later confirmed that Farouk did indeed sell the diamond to Nepal for a reported price of $100,000. It was later sold in 1974 at a Hong Kong auction for $4 million. A marquise shape and ten emerald cuts comprise the other diamonds cut from the crystal, the larger gems included emerald cuts of 41.30 (known as the Jonker II), 35.45 (Jonker III), 30.70 (Jonker IV), 25.66 (Jonker V) and 24.41 (Jonker VI) carats. Jonkers IV and VI were sold to American clients while the other three were sold to Indian maharajas. The smallest Jonker satellite stone, Jonker XII, a 5.3 carats (1,060 mg) emerald cut, was auctioned in New York in October 1975.) - The Liberator (Four gems weighing 38.88, 18.12, 8.93 and 1.44 carats (288 mg), D color, three emerald cuts and a marquise, respectively. Winston purchased the 155 carats (31 g) Venezuelan crystal in 1943 and cut four stones from it. The three smaller gems were set in a clip and the largest was mounted in a ring and sold to the forementioned Mrs. May Bonfils Stanton, in 1946. In 1962 Winston reacquired the diamond from Mrs. Stanton's estate and had it recut from its original weight of 39.8 carats (8 g) down to 38.88 carats (7.8 g). He sold it to an American client in 1966, who sold it at auction in New York on December 7, 1972.)
- Louis XIV (58.6 carats (11.7 g), D color and Flawless clarity, antique pear-shaped brilliant. Reportedly the gem belonged to King Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
but nothing of its history before Harry Winston bought it can be verified. Winston purchased the diamond in 1958 from the estate of ChryslerChryslerChrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
heiress Thelma Chrysler Foy. He then had it recut from 62 carats (12.4 g) down to a flawless 58.6 carats (11.7 g). He also obtained a 151 carats (30.2 g) oval sapphire from the Foy estate. In 1959 the diamond was mounted as the center stone in a tiara that also contained six smaller pear-shaped diamonds totally 22 carats (4.4 g), and 233 smaller diamonds totalling 120 carats (24 g). The diamond was exhibited at the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in 1962, along with the Hope Diamond, as part of the Ten Centuries of French Jewelry exhibition. In 1963 it was removed from the tiara and sold together with the 61.8 carats (12.4 g) Winston Diamond to Mrs. Eleanor Loder of Canada, who wore the two stones in a pair of earrings. The Louis XIV was sold again in Geneva in 1981 from Mrs. Loder's estate.) - Lesotho (Eighteen different diamonds, pale brown, various shapes. The diamond was discovered by Ernestine Ramaboa in May 1967 at the Letseng-la-Terai diggings in LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
. The crystal was sold at auction in MaseruMaseruMaseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 . The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the...
to a South African dealer who then sold it to a European dealer. It was later purchased in Geneva by Winston. In 1969, he had it cut into eighteen stones totalling 242.5 carats (48.5 g). The largest three gems were a 71.73 carats (14.3 g) emerald-cut, a 60.67 carats (12.1 g) emerald cut, and a 40.42 carats (8.1 g) marquise brilliant, named Lesotho I, II and III, respectively. The 40 carats (8 g) marquise was bought by Aristotle OnassisAristotle OnassisAristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
for his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
. The gem was sold at her estate sale auction for over $2 million. - McLean Diamond (31.26 carats (6.3 g), blue-white colorless, antique cushion brilliant. The diamond was purchased by Harry Winston from the estate of Evalyn Walsh McLeanEvalyn Walsh McLeanEvalyn Walsh McLean was an American mining heiress and socialite who was famous for being the last private owner of the Hope Diamond as well as another famous diamond, the Star of the East...
along with other pieces of jewelry including the Hope Diamond and the Star of the East. He sold the McLean Diamond to the DukeEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and Duchess of Windsor in 1950. The Duchess, a collector of jewelry, wore the stone often and owned it until her death in 1986. It was sold at her estate sale auction in April 1987 for $3.15 million. - The Mabel Boll (44.76 carats (9 g), near colorless, elongated emerald-cut. The diamond originally weighed 46.57 carats (9.3 g) and was owned by Mabel BollMabel BollMabel Boll , known as the "Queen of Diamonds", was an American socialite involved in the early days of record-setting flights in the 1920s. She garnered nicknames from the press, including "Broadway’s most beautiful blonde" and "$250,000-a-day bride".- Early life :Mabel Boll was short, dark-eyed,...
, the much-married American socialite whose name was often in the news in the 1920s. Boll collected nicknames like she collected jewelry: in 1921 she was hailed by newspapers as "Broadway's most beautiful blonde." She married ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
king Hernando Rocha in 1922, who presented her with a million dollars' worth of jewelry, mostly in the form of diamonds. The press referred to her as the "$250,000-a-day bride." She gained her most last nickname, "Queen of Diamonds", because she often appeared in public wearing all her jewelry. It was said that the rings she wore on her left hand alone were worth more than $400,000, which would equate to at least $4 or $5 million in today's dollars. When she died in 1949 Winston purchased the large emerald-cut diamond. According to Boll, the stone had originally been bought from Tiffany & Co.Tiffany & Co.Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
Winston slightly recut the stone, which measured 1⅜ by ⅝ inches, reducing it to 45.67 carats (9.1 g) and set it in a ring. It was then featured in his Court of Jewels exhibition before being sold to a New York client in 1954. When the client died in 1965, Winston reacquired the diamond to a flawless 44.76 carats (9 g), and sold it the following year to a European client. At this time it was designed to be worn as a ring or as the center stone to a bracelet set with an addition 112 smaller emerald-cut diamonds totalling 65.96 carats (13.2 g). - The NassakNassak DiamondThe Nassak Diamond is a large, diamond that originated as a larger diamond in the 15th century in India...
(43.38 carats (8.7 g), colorless, emerald cut. The Nassak has an Indian origin. It was originally a triangular 90 carats (18 g) Mogul-cut stone, similar in appearance to the Taj-I-Mah Diamond. The stone was supposedly set as the eye of an idol of the god ShivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. After the Third Anglo-Maratha WarThird Anglo-Maratha WarThe Third Anglo-Maratha War was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha territory by 110,400 British East India Company troops, the largest...
in 1817-18, the diamond was seized by the Governor-General, Lord HastingsFrancis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of HastingsFrancis Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings KG PC , styled The Honourable Francis Rawdon from birth until 1762 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1762 and 1783 and known as The Earl of Moira between 1793 and 1816, was an Irish-British politician and military officer who served as...
, and became part of the loot taken from India. Named the Nassak, it was sent to England. It was purchased at auction by crown jewelers Rundell and BridgeRundell and BridgeRundell & Bridge were a British jewellery firm based in London, also trading under the more familiar title Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.Philip Rundell and John Bridge were appointed Royal Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, Jewellers and Medallists in 1797 and held the Royal Warrant until 1843.Amongst their...
in 1831 during a period of severe economic depression. They had the stone recut to 80.59 carats (16.1 g) to give it greater brilliance, and in the process it became a triangular brilliant with lots of extra pavilion facets. In 1837, it was sold at auction to the Marquess of WestminsterRobert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of WestminsterRobert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, KG was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He was an English Member of Parliament and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster...
(he also bought the Arcots Diamonds and the King George IV Diamond at the same time). The Marquess mounted it in the hilt of his dress sword. The diamond remained in the Westminster family for nearly a century. In the 1920s,it was sold to a Parisian jeweler, who brought it to America in 1926 for display. The stone later returned to Paris where it was bought by Winston in 1940, who had the stone recut to its present flawless 43.38 carats (8.7 g) emerald cut shape. He then sold it to a New York jewelry firm in 1942. Mrs. William B. Leeds of New York purchased the gem in 1944 and wore it in a ring. It was sold at auction in New York in 1970.) - Napoleon Diamond NecklaceNapoleon Diamond NecklaceThe Napoleon Diamond Necklace is a diamond necklace commissioned by Napoleon I of France c. 1811–1812. It is currently on display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., United States.-Description:...
(various stones, colorless, antique cushion brilliants, pear-shaped antique cushion brilliants, briolette cuts. The forty-seven diamonds in this necklace weigh a total of 275 carats (55 g). NapoleonNapoleon I of FranceNapoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
gave it to his wife, Empress Marie-LouiseMarie Louise, Duchess of ParmaMarie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...
, a HabsburgHabsburgThe House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
princess, to celebrate the birth of their son in March 1811. When Marie-Louise died in 1847 the necklace passed to her nephew's wife, Archduchess SophiePrincess Sophie of BavariaSophie Friederike Dorothee Wilhelmine, Princess of Bavaria was born to King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Karoline of Baden. She was the identical twin sister of Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony as wife of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony...
. Sophie left it to her third son, Archduke Karl Ludwig, upon her death in 1872. Karl Ludwig's grandson, Franz Joseph II, Prince of LiechtensteinFranz Joseph II, Prince of LiechtensteinFranz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein, , was the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 1938 until his death...
, sold the necklace to French collector in 1948. Harry Winston bought the piece in 1960 and sold it to Marjorie Merriweather Post two years later. Post willed the necklace to the Smithsonian Institution, which received it in 1973.) - The Nepal (79.41 carats (15.9 g), colorless, pear-shaped antique brilliant. Not much is known about this gem. It is thought to be a GolcondaGolkondaGolkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
diamond and was owned by Jang BahadurJang BahadurMaharaja Jung Bahadur Rana was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal...
, the Prime Minister of Nepal, in the late 19th century and remained in the hands of Nepalese royalty until the mid-20th century. Winston purchased the diamond from an Indian dealer in 1957. At this time he had it slightly recut from its original 79.5 carats (15.9 g) weight. It was set in a pendant/brooch combination and was featured in an article on diamonds and gems in the April 1958 issue of National Geographic magazine and then exhibited at London's "Ageless Diamond" exhibition the following year. That same year, the stone was sold to the Family Perfillon-Bertarelli as the pendant to a v-shaped diamond necklace that also contained 145 round brilliants weighing a total of 71.44 carats (14.3 g).) - The Niarchos (128.25 carats (25.7 g), D color and Flawless clarity, pear-shaped brilliant. The gem was discovered as a 427 carats (85.4 g) crystal at the Premier MinePremier MineThe Premier Mine is an underground diamond mine owned by Petra Diamonds. It is situated in the town of Cullinan, 40 kilometres east of Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Established in 1902, it was renamed the Cullinan Diamond Mine in November 2003 in celebration of its centenary...
in South Africa, in 1954. In 1956 it was sold to Winston as part of an $8.4 million parcel. The largest gem cut from it is a 128.25 carats (25.7 g) pear-shaped diamond. The same year it was purchased by Stavros NiarchosStavros NiarchosStavros Spyros Niarchos was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.- Early life :He...
, Greek shipbuilder and industrialist, whose name it currently bears. Also cut from the rough were a 27.62 carats (5.5 g) marquise and a 40 carats (8 g) emerald cut. They were also purchased by Niarchos. - The OppenheimerOppenheimer DiamondThe Oppenheimer Diamond, a nearly perfectly-formed 253.7 carat yellow diamond crystal, is one of the largest uncut diamonds in the world. It measures approximately 20 × 20 millimeters. It was discovered in the Dutoitspan Mine, Kimberley, South Africa, in 1964...
(253.7 carats (50.7 g), light yellow, uncut crystal. The Oppenheimer was discovered in 1964 at the Dutoitspan Mine near Kimberley, South Africa. The stone is noted for being extraordinarily well-formed. Winston purchased the gem the same year it was found and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in memory of Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, chairman of the board of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd from 1929 until 1957. - The Princess B (21.7 carats (4.3 g), D color and Flawless clarity, emerald cut. The Princess B was a 45 carats (9 g) crystal discovered in January 2008 at the Elandsfontein diggings near Pretoria, South Africa. The Jonker Diamond was discovered at the same mine Harry Winston bought the Princess B, it was auctioned in New York and sold for an unknown price due to diplomatic restriction but the diamond was cut then set onto an engagement ring commissioned by Geneva Royal family heir HRH Pr. Sullivan Jhovanny III GIA experts say that it will probably be the most expensive engagement ring ever commissioned.
- Star of Sierra LeoneStar of Sierra LeoneThe Star of Sierra Leone diamond was discovered by miners on February 14, 1972 in the Diminco alluvial mines in the Koidu area of Sierra Leone. It ranks as the third-largest gem-quality diamond and the largest alluvial diamond ever discovered....
968.9 carats (193.8 g) - The Star of Sierra Leone yielded 17 finished diamonds, of which the largest was a flawless 53.96 carats (10.8 g) pear-shaped stone. - An un-named pink diamond of 24.78 carats, graded Fancy Intense Pink colour and with a November 2010 Sotheby's auction pre-sale estimate price of US $27 million to US $38 million (£17 million to £24 million). Sotheby's sold the rare pink diamond ring for $46.16 million to London jeweler Laurence Graff.