Origin of Name
Parure (pah-rur) in French means adornment. The word
was first used in the 17th century in Europe, referring to a set of
three or more matching pieces of jewelry, made out of the same
materials. Subsequently the meaning of the word was expanded to include
an entire wardrobe or suite of matching jewelry, that included items
like diadem, tiara, bandeau, comb, necklace, bracelet, rings, earrings
and pendants, brooch, shoulder brooches, stomacher, belt and
belt-buckles. Parures are usually named according to the dominant
gemstone used in their components, such as diamond parure, emerald
parure, pearl parure etc. Sometimes two gemstones may be co-dominant,
and both names are included in naming the parure, such as emerald and
diamond parure, pearl and diamond parure etc. In the Gulf Parure the
dominant gemstones are pearls; hence the parure is referred to as the
"Gulf Pearl Parure."
The use of the name "Gulf" for the pearl parure, may
be due to one of two possible reasons or both. The first reason is that
the pearls used in the component pieces of the parure possibly
originated in the Persian Gulf, one of the most ancient sources of
natural saltwater pearls in the world, where pearls had been harvested
since the 3rd millennium B.C. The second possible reason is that the
present anonymous owner of the pearl parure, possibly hails from
one of the eight countries bordering the Persian Gulf - Iran, Iraq,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Possibly it can be a combination of both reasons that imparted the name
"Gulf" for the pearl parure.
Characteristics of
the Pearl Parure
The Gulf Pearl Parure consists of the following
components :-
1) An articulated four-rowed pearl and diamond
necklace
2) A three-rowed pearl and diamond bracelet
3) A pair of pearl and diamond ear pendants
4) A pearl and diamond cluster ring
The entire parure consists of 193 natural pearls, of
which the largest 128 pearls weigh a total of 1,300 grains (325 carats)
and 166 diamonds, of which the largest 66 diamonds weigh a total of 160
carats. Each of the four components of the parure, has the signature
inscription of Jacques Timey, an alternative name for Harry Winston.
Characteristics of
the pearl and diamond necklace
The "Gulf Pearl Necklace" is an elaborate,
articulated, four-rowed pearl and diamond necklace, in which the pearl
and diamond rows alternate with one another. The length of the necklace
is 36.5 cm equivalent to 14 ins. which lies in the range of a "choker." Out of the four rows only
the upper row, consisting of 57 natural, white, spherical or
near-spherical, saltwater pearls, go right round the necklace, with a
clasp situated behind. The larger pearls in this row are
situated in the front, and the size of the pearls decrease gradually
towards the rear. The pearls in this row vary in size from 5.1 mm to 9.1
mm. The other three rows of the necklace arise from the upper row of
pearls, in such a way, that only 22 pearls form the single row of pearls
behind, that suspends the whole necklace. Thus four alternating rows of
pearls and diamonds are found only in the front part of the necklace,
that gets exposed when the necklace lies on the upper chest region.
The Diamond and Pearl Articulated Necklace of the Gulf Pearl Parure
The second row of the necklace is made up of
alternating graduated round brilliant-cut and marquise-cut diamonds. The
larger diamonds are in the center, and decrease in size gradually
towards the ends. The third row consists of paired natural pearl drops,
each pair arranged as an inverted-V; the larger pairs being placed at
the center, and decreasing gradually towards the ends. The fourth and
the last row consists of alternating drop-shaped and round brilliant-cut
diamonds. The drop-shaped diamonds arise from the base of the inverted
V-shaped paired pearl drops, forming an inverted trefoil. The round
brilliant-cut diamonds, are placed between the inverted V-shaped paired
pearl drops, in line with the round brilliant-cut diamond in the second
row. Large drop-shaped pearls hang from each of the round brilliant-cut
diamonds in the fourth row. The largest pearl drop weighing 122.84
grains hangs as the centerpiece of the necklace, along its median line.
Five graduated pearl drops, decreasing in size from the center outwards, are
placed on either side of the median line. Thus there are eleven natural
pearl drops in the necklace hanging freely from the round brilliant-cut
diamonds in the fourth row. This extraordinary pearl and diamond
articulated necklace, is the ultimate in its design and perfection, for
which Harry Winston was internationally renowned.
Characteristics of
the pearl and diamond bracelet
The bracelet which is 19.5 cm or 7.7 ins. long, is
made up of a central row of alternating round brilliant-cut and
marquise-cut diamonds, bounded on either side by a single row of
spherical or near-spherical pearls. Free drop-shaped pearls alternating
with free pear-shaped diamonds arise from either side of the two rows of
pearls. The largest pearls and diamonds are situated around the middle
of the bracelet, and the sizes decrease gradually towards both ends.
Thus the bracelet is slightly broader at the middle than towards the
ends.
The Bracelet of the Gulf Pearl Parure
The central row consists of 12 round brilliant-cut
and 12 marquise-cut diamonds, alternating with one another. The largest
round brilliants are situated on either side of the median line of the
bracelet, gradually decreasing in size towards the ends. The single row
of spherical pearls have 36 pearls in each row. Here too the largest
pearls are found along the median line, gradually decreasing in size on
either side. The largest pair of free drop-shaped pearls arising from
the single row of pearls are found along the median line. The size of
the free drop-shaped pearls decrease gradually towards the ends. There
are two pairs of free drop-shaped pearls on either side of the median
pair of free drop-shaped pearls, making a total of 10 free drop-shaped
pearls in the bracelet. Pairs of free pear-shaped diamonds arise in
between the pairs of free drop-shaped pearls. There are six pairs
of free pear-shaped diamonds in the bracelet. There is a regular gap of
two pearls between a pair of free drop-shaped pearls and the adjacent
pair of free pear-shaped diamonds. A single pair of small round-shaped
free pearls are situated at one end of the bracelet, that forms a clasp.
Characteristics of
the pair of pearl and diamond ear pendants
The pair of perfectly identical ear pendants have a
length of 5.5 cm each. The similarity between the two pendants are too
close, that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. The
centerpiece of the ear stud or clip is a perfectly spherical natural
pearl, surrounded by eight brilliant-cut small diamonds, forming a
rosette. The pendant that arises from the ear-stud is composed of a
quatrefoil and a single large drop-shaped pearl arising from below the
quatrefoil. The quatrefoil is composed of a pair of smaller drop-shaped
pearls forming an inverted-V, and two round brilliant-cut diamonds
situated above and below.
Pearl and Diamond Pendant Earrings of the Gulf Pearl Parure
Characteristics of
the pearl and diamond cluster ring
The cluster ring, of ring size 6, is made up of a
central large spherical white pearl surrounded by eleven round
brilliant-cut diamonds forming a rosette or cluster.
Diamond and Pearl Cluster Ring of the Gulf Pearl Parure
History of the Gulf
Pearl Parure
The source of the
pearls in the parure
The fact that the pearl parure was designed by
Harry Winston, gives an idea of the period in which the parure
originated, which should be somewhere between 1932, the year he
incorporated his business and started manufacturing his own jewelry, and
1978, the year of his death. During this period production of natural
saltwater pearls from the traditional sources of pearls around the world
had almost ceased, mainly due to the success of Mikimoto's efforts to
culture pearls artificially, and the acceptance of these cultured
products worldwide, after some initial consumer resistance. Perhaps, it
was only in Western Australia that a pearl fishing industry existed
until the 1950s, but this was mainly to cater to the mother-of-pearl
industry that produced shell buttons. Natural pearls were only a
byproduct of this industry. This industry also collapsed after shell
buttons were replaced by cheaper plastic buttons.
Thus the natural pearls used in the Gulf Pearl Parure
were most probably pearls produced in the traditional pearl producing
areas of the world, such as the Persian Gulf, when they were in active
production. The pearls were probably part of another setting or part of
a loose collection of natural pearls that was acquired by Harry Winston.
The owners of the
Gulf Pearl Parure until November 2006 ?
After Harry Winston designed the Gulf Pearl Parure,
he sold it to an unidentified Royal House, who had been his faithful
customers. This was not surprising as Harry Winston had been the
official jeweler to many royal houses around the world, and was referred
to as the "king of jewelers and the jeweler to kings." The Parure remained with this unidentified Royal House, for
an unknown period of time, until it surfaced at a Christie's auction in
Geneva, on November 14, 2006, as part of a magnificent collection of
jewelry and watches belonging to this particular Royal House. The
identity of the Royal House was not disclosed, but it was known that the
Royal House belonged to one of the Middle Eastern countries. The
newspaper, "Middle East Times" speculated that the Royal House was most
probably from Saudi Arabia.
Pre-sale exhibition
of the Royal House collection at Dubai
A pre-sale exhibition of the Royal House jewelry and
watches collection that was to go under the hammer at Christie's Geneva,
on November 14, 2006, was held at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, on
the 27th and 28th October, 2006. The Royal House collection consisted of
317 lots and had a pre-sale estimate of $20 million. One of the lots was
the magnificent Gulf Pearl Parure by Harry Winston, whose pre-sale
estimate alone was $4.2 to $6.3 million. Another spectacular pearl and diamond
suite, consisting of an eye-catching large button pearl of 21.5 mm
diameter, weighing 202.26 grains, and an 8-row pearl necklace, was
valued at $600,000 to $800,000.
The Royal House collection also included an
impressive selection of diamonds, such as a 21.37-carat, D-color, VVS2
clarity, pear-shaped diamond, valued at $700,000 to $1,000,000; a
29.01-carat, D-Color, VVS2 clarity, cushion-cut diamond, incorporated as
the centerpiece of a spectacular bracelet by Gerard, valued at $800,000
to $1,000,000; and a diamond parure by Fred, incorporating pear-shaped,
fancy light to fancy intense yellow diamonds, having a total weight of 70
carats, estimated at $600,000 to $800,000.
Apart from pearl and diamond jewelry, the Royal House
collection also featured some valuable gem set wristwatches by
celebrated makers like Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Audemars, Piguet,
Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and others. The watches that were in
virtually unused condition, comprised a total of 48 lots.
The exhibition held at Dubai, also featured other
collections that were due to come up for sale at Christie's Geneva, on
November 14, 2006, such as an exquisite collection of jewelry by Van
Cleef & Arpels, consisting of 50 signature pieces, which included the famous ruby
and diamond brooch known as the "Millennium Brooch," that was being put up
for auction, as part of their Centennial Commemorative Sale.
Christie's sale of
the Royal House Collection at Geneva, on November 14, 2006. The Gulf
Pearl Parure sold for $4.1 million.
The Royal House Collection, that went under the
hammer on November 14, 2006, at Christie's Geneva, netted a total of $31
million, which was $11 million in excess of the pre-sale estimate of $20
million. The Gulf Pearl Parure by Harry Winston was one of the star
attractions of the show, that sold for $4.1 million, almost on par with
the lower pre-sale estimate of $4.2 million. The identity of the new owner of
the Gulf Pearl Parure was also withheld by Christie's. Thus the
ownership of the exquisitely crafted Gulf Pearl Parure by Harry Winston,
was merely transferred from one anonymous owner to another, at the
Christie's auction held in Geneva, on November 14, 2006. The Gulf Pearl
Parure was accompanied by a report from the SSEF Swiss Gemological
Institute, bearing No. 46667, dated June 30, 2006, stating that the
pearls were natural saltwater pearls. Another 66 reports dated from June
26 to July 29, 2006, from the Gemological Institute of America,
gave the color, cut, clarity and carat weight, of 66 diamonds
incorporated in the parure.
Harry Winston - A
short biography
His early life and
training as a jeweler by his father Jacob
Popularly known as "the King of Jewelers and the
Jeweler to the Kings," Harry Winston, an American jeweler, was born in
New York, on March 1, 1896, to Ukrainian parents who had immigrated to
the United States. Faced with the challenges of settling down in a new
country, Harry Winston's father Jacob, started a small jewelry business
in New York, which gradually evolved into a modest enterprise. From a
very young age Harry worked in his father's shop, where he learnt all
aspects of the trade under the guidance of his father. Harry who was a
gifted child was quick to grasp all the skills of the trade, and it is
said that when he was barely 12 years old he used his ability in
identifying fine gemstones to earn $800 after spending only 25 cents.
The boy happened to pass a pawn shop along the streets of New York, when
his attention was drawn by a tray of junk jewelry in the shop window.
Harry's sharp eyes were focused on a particular ring among the junk,
that was set with a green stone. The boy instantly entered the shop and
purchased the ring for 25 cents, the giveaway price at which all items
in the junk tray were sold. Little did the owner of the shop realize
that what he was parting with was actually an expensive 2-carat emerald,
which Harry sold two days later for $800.
Harry Winston
Harry Winston sets
up his one-man firm, the Premier Diamond Company, and enters the estate
jewelry business
In the year 1920, when Harry was just 24 years old,
he founded a one-man firm, which he called The Premier Diamond Company,
with an initial capital of only $2,000, that represented his savings. As
was the case for newly formed companies, Harry Winston had to go through
an initial difficult period, while his company was trying to discover a
niche in the competitive jewelry market, in order to survive. The niche
he discovered was the estate jewelry business. Inheritants of estate
jewelry often disposed of their unfashionable jewelry of the Belle
Epoque period, such as stomachers, brooches, ornate tiaras and pendants
for a fraction of their value, and Harry Winston lost no time in
purchasing such jewelry. He dismantled such jewelry, especially the ones
set with old-cut diamonds. He got the diamonds re-cut in modern cutting
styles, such as the brilliant-cut, that increased their brilliance and
sparkle, which he then set modern-style jewelry to suite the new
generation.
His acquisition of
the Huntington jewels which he modifies into contemporary designs
One of the first significant estate jewelry he
purchased was the Stoddard inheritance in 1925, which was followed by
the estate of Mrs. Arabella Huntington, the wife of the railroad magnate
Henry Huntington. During her lifetime, with her husband's enormous
resources at her disposal, Arabella put together one of the most
prestigious jewelry collections in the world, which included signature
pieces from renowned jewelers such as Cartier's, Van Cleef & Arpels and
others. The designs in the collection were mostly old fashioned, and
Harry Winston, demonstrating his extraordinary skills at jewelry
crafting, recast most of the Arabella collection into contemporary
designs, that had a ready market and was sold at prices with a
considerable profit margin. His greatest achievement was the dismantling
of the famous Huntington's pearl necklace, that measured 1.5 meters (150
cm or 59 inches), that under modern classification of pearl necklaces
fall under the category of "rope." The necklace cost Mrs. Huntington
$1,000,0000, and took such a long time to assemble, because of careful
matching of the pearls, that by the time it was completed, Mrs.
Huntington had unfortunately gone blind and was not able to appreciate
its beauty. Winston split up the necklace into smaller parts and sold
them to customers around the world, and was subsequently fond of
boasting that the Huntington pearls now adorned the necks of at least
two dozen fashion-conscious women around the world.
The House of Harry
Winston founded in 1932 becomes one of the world's largest and most
prestigious jewelry houses
In 1932, twelve years after he had first formed his
one-man firm, he had accumulated sufficient funds and attained financial
independence, that he was able to incorporate his business under the
name Harry Winston Inc. The company also began manufacturing its own
jewelry, that was retailed through a network of retail outlets. The
House of Harry Winston eventually became very popular among the general
public and a household name in the United States. Today, the company has
attained the status of one of the world's largest and most prestigious
jewelry houses, with extensive manufacturing and wholesale operations,
and a network of exclusive retail salons in the United States, in New
York, Beverley Hills, Las Vegas, Dallas, Honolulu, Bal Harbour, and
Chicago, and overseas such as Paris, Geneva, Tokyo. The company that
specializes in manufacturing diamond jewelry, has state-of-the-art
facilities at its New York's Fifth Avenue Headquarters, that undertakes
specialized operations of cutting the rough diamonds, polishing,
designing and creating finished jewels.
Harry Winston's
contribution to the designing of modern jewelry
Harry Winston's contribution to the designing of
modern jewelry, was the development of new mounting techniques, that
made use of hand made flexible wire settings of platinum and gold, that
showed more of the gemstones, enhancing their sparkling effect with
greater exposure to light. This method of mounting has become an
essential part of modern jewelry design, whose origins are mainly
credited to Harry Winston.
Around a third of
the world's famous diamonds passed through Harry Winston's hands
His interest in diamonds was not confined to smaller
diamonds alone, but also larger diamonds, that were characterized as
famous diamonds. It is said that about one-third of the world's famous
diamonds had passed through his hands. Some of these diamonds had an
illustrious past such as the Hope diamond,
Porter Rhodes diamond,
Portuguese diamond, the
Idol's
Eye diamond, the
Indore Pears
diamond, the
Jonker diamond, the
Liberator diamond, the
Nassak diamond, the
Nepal
diamond, the
Niarchos diamond, the
Oppenheimer diamond
etc. The Hope
diamond, with a notorious past due to a curse supposedly placed on it,
was acquired by Harry Winston from the estate of Evalyn Walsh in 1949.
The notorious diamond remained with him until 1958, when he donated it
to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian
Institution, where it is exhibited today in the Harry Winston Room
of the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. Other
famous diamonds were newly discovered crystals of enormous size, such as
the
Lesotho
Brown diamond discovered in 1967 and the
Star of Sierra Leone
discovered in 1972, which yielded 18 and 17 diamonds
respectively, after cutting and processing by Harry Winston's master
cutters.
Harry Winston sets
the precedent for lending out jewels for the Annual Oscar Awards
Harry Winston set the precedent in 1943 of lending
out glittering jewelry set with diamonds, rubies and other precious
stones to celebrities attending the Annual Oscar Award ceremonies. His
gesture served a dual purpose at this important annual international
event. While adding more glitter to the ceremonies by bedecking the
celebrities with jewels, the event also served to highlight the glamour
associated with high-end jewelry produced by his company, that boosted
their sales. Every year Harry Winston loans about $200 million worth of
jewelry to celebrities attending the ceremony.
In 1999, Harry Winston set a record for loaning
jewels to celebrities by giving out $41 million worth of jewels to a
single celebrity Whoopi Goldberg, which included a single diamond ring
worth $15 million. In the 2002 awards ceremony some of the actresses who
wore Harry Winston's jewels included Halle Berry, who won the best
actress award, and Sissy Spacek, the best actress nominee. In
1998, actress Gloria Stewart of "Titanic" fame wore a $20 million blue
diamond necklace from Harry Winston. In 1997 Faye Dunaway wore a suite
of jewelry worth $1.6 million for the Oscars, that included a diamond
and ruby necklace, matching earclips, bracelets, and a diamond and ruby
ring.
Harry Winston also
loaned out jewels for movies on request
Apart from loaning out jewels for the Oscars, Harry
Winston also loaned out jewels for movies, on the sets, on request. One
such instance was when Whoopi Goldberg appeared as Queen Constantina in
Disney's TV movie "Cindrella." The jewels supplied included a 70-carat
diamond ring valued at $9 million and a necklace worth $2.5 million.
Another instance was in the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days"
in which actress Kate Hudson appeared in some scenes wearing an 87-carat
diamond pendant, created especially for her by Harry Winston.
You are welcome to discuss this post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the world in our FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1)
Pearl of Kuwait
2)
The Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar Parure
References -
1) The Gulf Pearl Parure - A Unique and Magnificent
Natural Pearl and Diamond Parure, by Harry Winston - Kathia Pinckernelle.
www.christies.com
2) Pearls Sell Big for Royal House - by Deidre
Woollard. Geneva-related stories. www.luxist.com
3) Christie's Open Glittering Dubai Exhibition of
Magnificent Jewels, Watches, and International Auction Highlights
Tomorrow. Oct. 26, 2006. -www.entrepreneur.com
4) Harry Winston - Jeweler to Stars.
www.seeing-stars.com
5) Harry Winston - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
