When Sparks Fly
Nayla Hayek, the CEO of Harry Winston, reflects on the house’s latest Winston with Love collection, a playful and spirited take on romance By Amelia Yeo
Nayla Hayek, the CEO of Harry Winston, reflects on the house’s latest Winston with Love collection
Some of history’s greatest romances are captured in artistic masterpieces. Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, for example, features a couple locked in a passionate embrace, kneeling on a bed of wild flowers. Rendered in gold leaf, silver and platinum, the artwork invites viewers to witness a moment of intimacy—as if intruding in a private moment—that remains suspended on canvas. Then there were the bittersweet yet powerful performances by Marina Abramović in The Artist is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in 2010, featuring a poignant appearance by her former partner Ulay. Their encounter revealed a silent yet weighted exchange that showcased aspects of the good, the arduous and the heartbreak of their relationship.
The artistic expression of love is an evocative one, its myriad emotions articulated in various forms, from the written word to brushstrokes and, most recently, with precious gemstones through the artistic lens of Harry Winston. Recognising the intensity and passion of great romances, the American jeweller captures the evolution of quintessential love stories in its new collection, Winston with Love, which features 39 pieces categorised into four distinct chapters: L for Winston Light, O for Winston Obsession, V for Winston Vow and E for Winston Eternal.
Harry Winston’s CEO Nayla Hayek likens her experience with love to a diamond: “Much like a diamond, love’s brilliance is infinite and, for me, cannot be limited to a handful of moments. While it is an incredibly powerful emotion, it is also one that is deeply personal and sentimental. How we choose to express love is also very individualised. What I will share though is that love is at the heart of everything I do—it is all encompassing. From my family, to my work, to my community and personal passions, it is the feeling that inspires and carries me through each and every day.”
When asked about the inspiration behind the collection, she shares: “For the Winston with Love collection, we wanted to capture the deep emotions associated with the various phases and progressions of love. Love is an incredibly personal and individualised feeling and one that at times can be hard to express. With that in mind, we wanted the jewels within the collection to speak for themselves and to evoke the emotion they were intended to represent. We achieved this through highly skilled gemstone setting techniques, unique coloured stone pairings and symbolic design motifs.”
Seeing as today’s consumers are on the search for one-of-a-kind pieces that speak to them on a more personal level, coloured gemstones have been gaining favour over white diamonds due to their exceptional quality and rareness. They have even made it to today’s mainstream media: American rapper Lil Uzi Vert made headlines in February after implanting a US$24 million pink diamond on his forehead. For years now, jewellers such as Dior, Chaumet and Tiffany & Co have also responded to the rising demand for coloured gemstones and released exclusive offerings of their own. Boasting Paraiba tourmalines to pink morganites in their collections, each curation furthers the narrative of unique stories and emboldens magpies around the world to elevate their personal styles.
“Given all the changes in the world, I think people are searching for items that symbolise or represent a moment in time. Something that will retain its value and can be passed down from generation to generation. High jewellery is well-suited for this given its timeless
“What I love most about our new collection, Winston with Love, is that the pieces range from contemporary to classic in their style, so there is truly a piece for everyone and every occasion. Love is boundless and we are proud to introduce a collection that celebrates the emotion in its various phases and allows its wearer to assign a meaning, a memory or a moment that they want to cherish for a lifetime”
aesthetics, durability and ability to retain value. As a brand with more than eight decades of history, we will continue to preserve and maintain the legacy that has made the house what it is today, but will also find new ways to bring more contemporary offerings to meet the preferences of our global clientele,” shares Hayek.
Winston with Love offers a different take on the house’s typical style of silver screen glamour through a playful use of colours. “The collection features a variety of brightly coloured gemstones such as rubies, pink and purple sapphires, yellow diamonds, orange spessartites, and blue tanzanite, among others. For Winston with Love, it would be impossible to capture the fiery emotions behind its inspiration, without the use of colourful gemstones. The complementing and contrasting shades of orange, yellow, red, purple and pink, along with diamonds, add to the drama of the collection.”
Encapsulating young love’s intense emotions, the Dancing Flames series from the collection’s second chapter consists of vibrant gems. First are the chandelier earrings with cascading diamonds that culminate in drops of orange spessartites—almost emulating the flickering flames of passion ignited between lovers. The earrings come with a matching necklace featuring a vivid combination of contrasting colours and boasting a 5.02-carat sugarloaf Burmese ruby emboldened by diamonds, purple sapphires,spessartite garnets and ruby flames.
“What I love most about our new collection, Winston with Love, is that the pieces range from contemporary to classic in their style, so there is truly a piece for everyone and every occasion. Love is boundless and we are proud to introduce a collection that celebrates the emotion in its various phases and allows its wearer to assign a meaning, a memory or a moment that they want to cherish for a lifetime,” Hayek explains.
The collection also features several whimsical forms that hint to the different stages of love. For a start, the Sparks series in the first chapter captures a relationship’s first flush through a burst of colour and the fiery silhouette of a firework. The 3.97-carat heart-shaped yellow diamond drop in the series’ Brilliant Glow necklace is a subtle nod to the start of a budding new romance—complete with a brilliant composition of diamonds, yellow diamonds, pink sapphires, spessartites and rubies.
The Promise earrings in Winston Vow increase the collection’s romantic appeal. They first seem to appear as a mismatched bouquet of colourful stones on each ear but, when placed together, reveal a full heart motif that showcases Harry Winston’s playful nature.