Diamonds and the Famous Jewelers who Set Them

Diamonds are the most precious jewels with which a jeweler can practice their trade. There are no gems that are so prized as are diamonds and none that commands such a high price. Because of this, some of the most famous jewelers in the world have built their reputations based on their diamond creations. Where the creation of an elegant, glamorous and oftentimes show-stopping piece is concerned, there is no better medium in which these artists may work.

The name Tiffany is synonymous with elegance. The founder and owner of Tiffany & Co., Charles Lewis Tiffany, made a reputation so enduring that a particular setting of his own design carries his name to this day and is considered one of the standard options for setting the most priceless diamonds. The Tiffany setting is designed to display the diamond in a way that it is most availed of what it needs to show its beauty to the world: light. Set on six prongs, diamonds in a Tiffany setting truly sparkle. For gems that deserve to be set in a way that unavoidably draws the eye to them, it is one of the best and serves as a testament to Tiffany’s sensitivity to the artistic display of such beautiful stones.

Harry Winston, 1896-1978, is a legend in the world of jewelers. Not only did he work with some of the most famous gems in the world, he worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and was known as the preferred jeweler for film celebrities. Winston had an abiding love of diamonds and was the owner of the Hope Diamond, possibly the most famous diamond in all the world. As any jeweler is wont to do, Winston wanted the world to see for themselves the beauty of this spectacular gem and, to that end, he donated it to the Smithsonian Institute in the late 1950′s where it still resides today.

Winston’s clients included the one celebrity who, aside from Marilyn Monroe, is probably most associated with diamonds: Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor was given a diamond that weighed over 69 carats by her husband Richard Burton. Burton once joked that, if their movie careers should falter, they could sell the diamonds of which they were so famously fond to make ends meet. Winston’s association with Hollywood continues until this day. Over 30 years after his death, the stars still seek his creations when they’re going to be seen on the red carpet at Hollywood’s biggest events. A $20 million recreation of the “Heart of the Ocean” diamond owned by Kate Winslet’s character in the 1997 film “Titanic” was made by Winston’s company. His Harry Winston Diamond Company endures to this day.

When shopping for diamonds, customers are often advised to pay attention to the cut of the gem, one of the four C’s in the mnemonic they often use to remind themselves of the marks of quality. Famous jewelers often patent their own cuts as a way of distinguishing themselves from others and of establishing themselves as authorities in the gem cutting world. The famous Israeli diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky patented the Eternal cut, a very complex cut that features a flower-like pattern of facets, that is currently offered only from the Gerrard Company of England. This company also made a recreation of the “Heart of the Sea” diamond from “Titanic”, though their necklace used a sapphire in place of the blue diamond that was the centerpiece of the jewelry in the film.

The most distinguished gem-cutters often become collectors themselves, and are sometimes tasked with working with the most precious of all stones. In some cases, they also broker some of the most well-known diamonds in the world and, in doing so, further cement their reputation and legend as among those whose life’s work is more distinguished by their association with such great wealth. Charles Lewis Tiffany, for example, acquired a portion of the French Crown Jewels, which further elevated him in status among his peers. Having in his possession the famous Hope Diamond did nothing to diminish the reputation of Harry Winston, to be certain. His longevity and prosperity, ironically, cast doubt upon one of the legends surrounding the diamond itself: that it’s possessor inherits a curse.

The work of famous jewelers represents some of the most expensive art in the world. Though this art is wearable, it is oftentimes found displayed, as in the case of the hope diamond, or in the collections of individuals who possess such items as a type of investment. The value of such items, as it tends to increase with age, precludes many of them from being worn. Like the gems from which their created, however, whether they’re worn or displayed, their beauty is, indeed, forever.