Dubbed the XLarge Winston Cluster Wreath necklace, the piece features over 100 dazzling stones
On a December night in 1944, jewellery designer Harry Winston paused in front of his Scarsdale, New York, estate to admire the holly wreath, glistening with snow, hanging on his door. Noticing how its intertwining leaves disappeared beneath the wintry dusting, he had a light-bulb moment: The gemstones, rather than their metallic settings, should shape the piece. Created in partnership with Harry Winston’s head designer, Nevdon Koumrouyan, the house’s famous Cluster style was born.
Mimicking the contours of a wreath’s leaves, it features a mixture of stones in various cuts and at various angles, placed so tightly together that the platinum setting is nearly invisible. It’s a signature that has graced everything from pendants to rings and bracelets, but it’s the over-the-top Cluster necklace, like a sparkling garland for the neck, that grabs the most attention. Jennifer Lopez solidified its fame in a pop-culture moment when her character donned an eye-grabbingly sizeable version (plus matching earrings) in the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan; in 2017, a similar piece sold at the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction for more than US$1.8 million.
Now, the jewellery house is upping the ante with its latest XLarge Winston Cluster Wreath necklace, set in platinum with 114 diamonds including pear, round brilliant, and marquise cuts totaling 122 carats—currently the largest, most extravagant version of the Cluster available worldwide today. And at over US$7 million, it’s safe to say that this is the signature style’s true blockbuster moment.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Photo by Harry Winston
