‘King of Diamonds’ explores the dramatic life of jeweler Harry Winston
The world associates the name Harry Winston with glamour and jewels – it’s synonymous with Hollywood stars, royal families and captains of industry. Marilyn Monroe ushered the name into legend when she breathlessly sang, “Talk to me, Harry Winston; tell me all about it!” in 1953’s classic movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”
But for his eldest and only living son, Ronald Winston, the man behind the brand seems to have been a complicated person, as well as a hard-to-live-up-to icon.
The opening pages of “King of Diamonds: Harry Winston, The Definitive Biography of An American Icon,” by Ronald Winston and William Stadiem, contain a telling episode from the author’s childhood: His famous jeweler father was “bouncing me around, having a wonderful time” in the family’s plush New York apartment.
Then suddenly, Winston dropped his son “hard and fast” onto the rug, shocking the child.
As young Ronald begins to cry, the famed jeweler tells him, “Never trust anyone in life. Not even your own father.”