Harry Winston Pear Diamond Ring with Baguettes (D/VVS1, 3.60 ct)

One ring, fully documented

This entry is a single, specific ring: a platinum Harry Winston ring set with a 3.60-carat pear brilliant diamond, offered by a U.S. dealer. The center stone carries a Gemological Institute of America grading report stating D color and VVS1 clarity, with very good polish and no fluorescence, and the report number is inscribed on the diamond itself.

Strictly speaking it is not a bare solitaire. The pear is flanked by a pair of tapered baguette diamonds weighing 0.34 carat together, graded E-F color and VVS clarity. That is the layout Harry Winston sells today as its Classic Winston pear-shaped engagement ring with tapered baguette side stones, described by the house as a pear given prominence by two tapered baguettes on a delicate platinum band.

The ring is stamped with the Harry Winston maker's mark, the center stone's carat weight and a platinum hallmark. It is a size 8.75, can be resized, and weighs 6.5 grams. Its date of manufacture is not stated; the earliest dated document is a Harry Winston retail valuation of November 5, 2009.

The King of Diamonds

Harry Winston was born Harry Weinstein in New York City on March 1, 1896. His father ran a small jewelry business, and the family story holds that at 12 he spotted a two-carat emerald in a pawnshop, bought it for 25 cents and sold it two days later for $800. He started his own business in 1920, the year he changed his name, and founded Harry Winston, Inc. in New York in 1932.

His rise began in 1926 with the purchase of the jewelry collection of Arabella Huntington, which he redesigned into modern styles. He went on to buy some of the most famous stones of the century, beginning with the 726-carat uncut Jonker in 1935, and in 1958 he donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution after owning it for a decade.

Winston also understood publicity. In 1944 he lent diamonds to the actress Jennifer Jones for the Academy Awards, starting the practice of dressing stars for the Oscars, and the song 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes immortalized him with the line 'Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!' He died in New York on December 8, 1978. The company was bought by the Swatch Group of Switzerland on March 26, 2013, for $1 billion.

What D and VVS1 mean

Color is graded on the GIA's D-to-Z scale, introduced in 1953, which runs from D, colorless, to Z, light yellow, brown or gray. D is the top of the scale: a diamond with little to no hue.

Clarity is judged under 10x magnification on an 11-grade scale. Above VVS1 sit only Flawless and Internally Flawless. In the VVS1 and VVS2 grades, inclusions are so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see even under magnification.

A 3.60-carat pear combining the top color grade, the third-highest clarity grade and no fluorescence is the kind of stone Harry Winston builds its bridal reputation on. The house lists its Classic Winston pear ring from $22,000 for center stones starting at 1.00 carat, with the price rising with carat weight, color and clarity, and higher carat weights available by request.

From the salon to the resale market

The ring's first owner is not identified. What travels with it is a Harry Winston retail valuation dated November 5, 2009, putting its retail replacement figure at $180,000. That paper is a valuation, not a sale.

The ring is now offered on the secondary market by a U.S. dealer with a list price of $155,000, below the maker's 2009 valuation. As with most signed jewelry resold privately, no earlier transaction price has been published.

A benchmark engagement ring

The company founded in New York in 1932 ran 39 salons in 2015, from New York and Beverly Hills to cities abroad. Its engagement rings are built around a single principle the founder put plainly: no two diamonds are alike.

A signed Winston ring with a D-color, VVS1 center stone and full GIA documentation is a reference point for what a top-tier pear engagement ring looks like: the maker, the grading report and the stamped mount together tell a buyer what the stone is and where it came from.

The numbers

Carat weight

3.60 ct center; 0.34 ct tapered baguettes

Color and clarity

D, VVS1 (center); E-F, VVS (sides)

Cut

Pear brilliant, very good polish, no fluorescence

Metal

Platinum

Ring size

8.75, resizable

Weight

6.5 g

Marks

Harry Winston maker's mark, center carat weight, platinum hallmark; GIA number inscribed on the stone

Timeline

1. Mar 1, 1896

   Harry Weinstein, later Harry Winston, is born in New York City.

2. 1920

   Winston starts his business and changes his name.

3. 1926

   He buys Arabella Huntington's jewelry collection.

4. 1932

   Harry Winston, Inc. is founded in New York City.

5. 1935

   Winston acquires the 726-carat uncut Jonker diamond.

6. 1944

   He lends diamonds to Jennifer Jones for the Academy Awards.

7. 1953

   The GIA introduces its D-to-Z color grading scale.

8. 1958

   Winston donates the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.

9. Dec 8, 1978

   Harry Winston dies in New York.

10. Nov 5, 2009

    Harry Winston issues a retail valuation of $180,000 for this ring.

11. Mar 26, 2013

    The Swatch Group buys Harry Winston, Inc. for $1 billion.

12. Oct 2026

    The ring is listed for sale by a U.S. dealer at $155,000.

The world in 2009

• Jan 3, 2009

  The first block of the Bitcoin blockchain is created.

• Jan 15, 2009

  US Airways Flight 1549 ditches in the Hudson River; all 155 aboard survive.

• Jan 20, 2009

  Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

• Jun 11, 2009

  The H1N1 'swine flu' outbreak is declared a global pandemic.

• Jun 25, 2009

  Michael Jackson dies.

• Jul 7, 2009

  Michael Jackson's public memorial is held in Los Angeles.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Harry Winston Pear Diamond Ring with Baguettes (D/VVS1, 3.60 ct) is number 40 of 100 in the jewelry entries of the FLOAT 100. 44 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (89 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• D is the top color grade on a scale the GIA introduced in 1953.
• Only Flawless and Internally Flawless rank above VVS1 on the GIA clarity scale.
• Harry Winston reportedly bought a two-carat emerald for 25 cents at age 12 and sold it for $800.
• Winston was the first jeweler to lend diamonds to an Oscar nominee, in 1944.
• The ring is listed today for $25,000 less than its maker's 2009 valuation.
• The GIA report number is inscribed on the diamond itself, so stone and paper can be matched.