High Jewelry Timepieces Mini Twist by Harry Winston

Press Release

High Jewelry Timepieces Mini Twist by Harry Winston

The House of Harry Winston introduces the high jewelry Mini Twist timepiece. Radiant leaves of diamonds appear to climb up a flexible gold trellis, a motif inspired by nature and the legendary creations from the late Ambaji Shinde, Harry Winston’s acclaimed designer.

Natural influences

Harry Winston’s innovative approach to gemstone setting was largely inspired by nature. Instead of placing stones in visible settings, he freed them and allowed their light and shape to lead the design. Playing with the dimensions and volume of exceptional stones to create fluid, flowing jewels has become a distinctive feature of Harry Winston’s high jewelry pieces.

Harry Winston and Shinde: a happy twist of fate

In addition to his exceptional ability to spot – and acquire - the world’s most fabulous gemstones, Mr. Winston also had a keen eye for identifying talented jewelry designers. On a trip to Bombay in 1955, Mr. Winston met Ambaji V. Shinde, a gifted Indian painter and jewelry designer, whose opulent jewels adorned Indian royals and Maharajas. The chemistry between the two was immediate and in 1966, Shinde accepted an offer as the head of design at Harry Winston. Although Mr. Winston himself had no talent for drawing, he was able to articulate his ideas with perfect clarity to Shinde. The camaraderie and deep understanding between the two men resulted in the creation of some of the House’s most iconic pieces.

A trellis of diamonds and gold

The gold and diamond Mini Twist by Harry Winston timepiece is inspired by Shinde’s majestic design legacy, which included pieces featuring marquise and brilliant-cut diamonds set in twisted gold cables to form fluid, intertwined jewelry creations reminiscent of the lush, dense vegetation in his native India.

The Mini Twist by Harry Winston features a trellis of marquise-shaped leaves that climb a highly flexible 18-karat gold chain. A closer look reveals that the leaves are set with three brilliant-cut diamonds – a larger one in the center flanked by two smaller ones. The superlative work of Harry Winston’s jewelers can be seen in the magical way the leaves are delicately fastened together, without a trace of metal. The gold chain is beautifully crafted with an intrinsic flexibility that allows it to flow naturally around the wrist.

Diamond times

With natural movement at the core of the Mini Twist by Harry Winston, the diamond leaves continue all the way to the dial, resting naturally on the bezel. Fully-set with 71 brilliant-cut diamonds, the elegant dial indicates the hours and minutes and is framed by radiant-cut bezel set diamonds and larger brilliant-cut diamonds.

Available in 18-karat white gold, the length of the bracelet can be adjusted without visiting jeweler. At the end of the bracelet, a circular-shaped gold clasp can be opened and closed to change the length, ensuring it sits perfectly on the wrist.