True blue: Dazzling tanzanite and turquoise birthstone jewellery for December
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7 months ago
Whether you prefer your jewels a deeper shade of blue or in a bright sky hue, December’s birthstones have you, or her, covered
At the height of his career, jeweller Harry Winston was nicknamed the ‘King of Diamonds’. And his connection with royalty doesn’t end there: he was the first to loan his diamonds to the queens of the silver screen for the Academy Awards (Jennifer Jones in 1943); he designed bespoke pieces for royals such as the Duchess of Windsor; and he collected stones with royal histories from around the globe. According to Sotheby’s, by the 1950s his collection of gems could only be rivalled by the British royal family, and included many famous pieces, including the Arcots Diamonds, the Hope Diamond, and jewels owned by Marie Antoinette.
Now, a new high jewellery collection celebrates the jeweller’s royal connections, with designs inspired by royal jewels that passed through his hands.
Titled Royal Adornments, the collection also celebrates the kings and queens of all gemstones – rubies, sapphires, emeralds, Paraiba tourmalines and conch pearls, along with diamonds – through exquisite jewels that give a nod to the nobles, while maintaining a modern flair.
Photo: Unsplash
Sub Heading Loro Piana Zurs Court Earrings
Sub Heading Loro Piana Zurs Court Earrings
Take the Court Earrings, for example, which are inspired by an extraordinary emerald necklace that belonged to the Maharajah of Nawanagar. As Harry Winston explained to the publication American Weekly: ‘The moment I saw the necklace, I knew I had to own it. The emeralds were the finest I had ever seen, extraordinary for their enormous size, colour and deep fire. Even though I have owned many historic gems, I knew that this unique emerald necklace would be the top ornament of my collection.’
The Court Earrings are an homage to incredible emeralds, inspired by the original necklace.
The Crescent, Niyama Private Islands
The Dame Necklace and Earrings were inspired by a queen of Hollywood, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who once wore an exquisite set of rare pink and salmon conch pearls from the House of Harry Winston.
And, finally, the King Brooches are inspired by the jeweller himself. In 1947, Cosmopolitan published a story about Harry Winston, called ‘The King of Diamonds’ For the article’s title, the magazine put a creative spin on the font treatment and utilised an element of an archival Harry Winston necklace to emphasise the ‘D’ in ‘diamonds.’ The two King Brooches, in all-diamond or with diamonds and emeralds, take inspiration from this magazine design.
Wednesday. (L to R) Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Thing in episode 106 of Wednesday. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
With 13 unique designs across the collection, Royal Adornments is imbued with both history and Harry Winston’s love for the world’s finest gems. See them all here: harrywinston.com
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The hard-working fashion editorial who traipse from show to show for five days straight won’t have time for show-boating, you’ll find them in chic but sleek black with practical totes that will fit a laptop (and a goody bag or two). But the front row posé will want to stand out from the crowd. Opt for one of this season’s hottest retro comeback bags, bypassing the re-releases and going straight for the original on eBay.
