| Type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Jewelers |
| Founded | 1932, in New York, New York |
| Founder(s) | Harry Winston |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Key people | Frederic de Narp, President & CEO Harry Winston, Founder |
| Products | Jewelry and timepieces |
| Website | harrywinston.com |
Harry Winston, Inc. is an American luxury jeweler and producer of Swiss timepieces. Named after its famous founder, the jeweler Harry Winston, the company is headquartered in New York.
Harry Winston is owned by Toronto-based Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, which holds a 40% interest in the Diavik Diamond Mine, located in Canada's Northwest Territories. Harry Winston, Inc. has retail locations (called "salons") in nineteen cities worldwide, including New York, Beverly Hills, Paris, London, Beijing, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Harry Winston opened its doors in 1932, quickly gaining a reputation as a purveyor of fine diamonds and gemstones. Winston created jewels favored by royals, maharajas, and Hollywood’s elite.
Harry Winston was the first jeweler to loan diamonds to an actress for the Academy Awards, in 1944, influencing red carpet style. Dressing Best Actress nominee Jennifer Jones in his signature diamonds, Winston set a new standard celebrity style, and he became popular with Hollywood celebrities.
In 1949, Harry Winston acquired the Hope diamond. Arguably the world’s most famous gemstone, the Hope is a 45.52-carat (9.10 g) dark blue diamond. The Hope was donated by Harry Winston to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, as a gift to the American people. On display at in the Smithsonian’s Harry Winston Gem Gallery, the Hope is a testament to Winston’s legacy of rare and magnificent gems.
In 1989, to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Harry Winston, Inc. constructed a pair of ruby slippers made of actual rubies and diamonds (as opposed to the original movie props, which used sequins).
In September 2009, Harry Winston, Inc. announced a project to re-design the Hope’s setting to commemorate the 50th Anniversary Winston’s donation of the stone to the Smithsonian. The setting design was chosen by the American public in an online poll, and the new setting will be revealed in April 2010.
http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_si/nmnh/hope.htm