This exquisite new high jewelry necklace from Harry Winston features a stunning 43-Karat Kashmir Sapphire as its centerpiece. With its timeless design, this one-of-a-kind piece is sure to add a sophisticated touch to any look.More than just diamonds, the house is able to flex its muscles when it comes to extravagant blue stones.
Known as the King of Diamonds, Harry Winston purchased some of the finest diamonds ever discovered, including a 726-carat Jonker and a 94.8-carat Star of the East created by Evalyn Walsh McLean. In 2013, Winston Legacy was acquired for 101.73 carats in perfect colorless condition, and in 2018, Winston Legacy Pink was acquired for 18.96 carats. The Winston Sapphire Legacy is a 43.1-carat Kashmir sapphire set in platinum and suspended from a necklace set with a total of 67.5 carats of round-brilliant, square-emerald, pear and marquise diamonds.
It is extremely rare to find sapphires of this size, especially those of the Kashmir variety. A landslide in the Himalayan mountains of Kashmir in the early 1880s led to the discovery of these stones, according to Benoît Repellin, Phillips’ worldwide head of jewelry. Locals traded the stones for salt and other goods; after merchants recognized their value, the Maharaja sent troops to protect and control the mines. By the end of that century, the operation to exhume the gems had exhausted, but some of the most beautiful sapphires were found as a result.
“For connoisseurs and collectors, the most special characteristic of Kashmir sapphires, what elevates them above all other gems, is their unique combination of a rich, intense blue with a soft and velvety appearance,” Repellin says to Rich Report. “Finding a large crystal from these mines is a true discovery, and the combination of the velvety-blue color, good clarity, large size and important weight make a Kashmir sapphire a wonder of nature.” Perhaps an even greater wonder for collectors, since it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
