Harry Winston had a legendary eye for gems. He was nicknamed ”The King of Diamonds” At the age of 24 hef ounded his first business, the Premier Diamond Company, specialized in buying and selling large collections of gemstones. In 1932 he opened a retail store at Fifth Avenue in New York. Winston became famous for the cutting of exceptional diamonds as the Jonker, one of the largest rough diamonds in the world, the Taylor-Burton, the Vargas and the Star of Sierra Leone. From Evelyn Walsh MacLean he bought in 1949 her collection of jewellery including the Hope Diamond. He donated the Hope ttogether with two other important diamonds to the Smithsonian Institute. Winston’s jewellery is known for its simplicity, minimal settings and high-quality. After his death his son succeeded Harry Winston and ontinued the company's tradition of selling ”Rare Jewels of the World”. In 2006 the company was sold to Aber Diamond Corp.
