


I have a bit of a love-hate relationship going on with the Harry Winston website. They also only use platinum for their settings which does restrict things somewhat, but that said, you could happily say that each and every Harry Winston piece is a designer piece in its own right. The custom piece happens, irrespective of you. However, this does mean that you don’t rock up to Harry Winston with your own brief and expectations for a custom piece. They state that they design their pieces around the gems, rather than the other way around. In essence, the Harry Winston name is the designer – The House of Harry Winston. Why not take a look at some other designers that far more affordable? Tacori, Michael M, Danhov and Verragio among many others which I recommend on this site. And the reality is that you shouldn’t have to compromise on this. So this is great if you’re extremely wealthy, not so great if you’re looking for a something with a slightly smaller budget but still want exclusivity. There isn’t a huge amount of exclusivity lower down the value scales. However, that said, we are only looking at the most extreme high end offerings here. There’s no doubting that the ‘High Jewelry’ items, encompassing the “Secrets”, “Winston Icons”, and “The Incredibles” ranges, are beautifully exclusive. ExclusivityĮxclusivity is where the Harry Winston experience really comes in to its own. For the rest of us, I urge you to look elsewhere. So yes, I love the Harry Winston pieces if you’re in the market for a million-dollar-plus piece. Here you can expect to get excellent quality and value for money whether you’re buying a $5k set of ear-rings, or an heirloom engagement ring for tens of thousands. Therefore, I recommend retailers such as Whiteflash. I have no problem with a hefty price tag if the value truly lives up to it. You won’t find an exceptional piece here for a price tag under around $75,000, and that’s a really big problem. That’s where the problem lies for me.įurthermore, the pricing of Harry Winston pieces means that unless you really are up there spending the big bucks (and not just big bucks for you), then you’re really wasting your time. Now, that’s a slightly difficult pill to swallow when you know that there are other designers and retailers out there who will sell you an equivalent piece, of equal intrinsic value, for a considerably lower price tag. At the end of the day, my feel is that what you are paying for in a Harry Winston diamond is – above all else – the name. There is a great deal to like about Harry Winston, but unfortunately pricing isn’t one of them. It’s possible to also link Harry Winston back to the early days of the tradition of giving celebrities jewelry for their red carpet experiences. He’s even reached musical fame being referred to in the song ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’. Harry Winston’s name really is the company. It was owned by royalty across the globe, until it came in to the hands of Harry Winston in 1947, before he donated it to the Smithsonian. This is 45.52 carats in a mesmerizing deep blue. He became known for his notable diamonds, perhaps most importantly, the ‘Hope Diamond’. He took existing designs and redesigned them, acquiring new diamonds along the way. Harry Winston gained a reputation for being an exceptional craftsman. Perhaps the pricing strategy of the modern-day Harry Winston stems back to that original mark up! At just 12 years old he spotted a valuable emerald and sold it on for a hefty profit. In fact, Harry Winston was both made and born. His father, Jacob Winston, emigrated to the US from the Ukraine and had himself started a jewelry store. However, jewelry was already in his blood. Harry Winston opened his own business in 1920, with his first store in New York in 1932. As far back as Liz Taylor, celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Madonna, Helen Mirren, and Amal Clooney have donned Harry Winston pieces. Harry Winston pieces are certainly favored amongst many celebrities. That said, they are American born and bred, and their roots and heritage have a distinctly American feel. They are truly on the international scene, which largely happened following Harry Winston’s death and the legal battle that followed over who would take charge of the company.

Harry Winston is a global jeweler with retail outlets in forty different locations around the world including the original in New York, as well as London, Paris, Geneva, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Sometimes I do receive a commission when you click on links and buy the products. This page contains references to diamonds or engagement rings from different companies. Best Places to Buy an Engagement Ring Online.Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool – ASET.
