Harry Winston was the first jeweller to realise the potential of the red carpet and as early as 1943 was showering diamonds on the stars to wear in front of the cameras at the Academy Awards. And true to form, this year, Harry Winston, once again brought out some spectacular diamonds for the stars - see who was wearing what. Back in 1943, it was the wily Harry Winston who first thought of lending diamonds to the actress Jennifer Jones, the screen siren du jour. Jones was perfect for the task; all milky white skin, glossy black hair and fire-engine red lips. When Jones stepped out onto the red carpet on her way to collect an Oscar at the Academy Awards for her role in "The Song of Bernadette" the photographers' flashes bounced off the Harry Winston jewels draped around the star and the talk was as much about the award as those rocks. Though it may have been but a few dainty steps, Harry and Jenny changed the look of the red carpet forever and no Oscar moment is complete without the flash of a diva's smile and the sparkle of gorgeous jewels. The jewels worn by today's glamour girls show a house style heavily influenced by the work of the late designer Ambaji Shinde (1917-2003) who mixed the richness of colour of the jewels of the Maharajas from his home land with the 1950's modernity of New York. As well as appealing to the cocktail set with audaciously sexy "swimming pool" size diamond rings, Shinde is responsible for the more subtle 'cluster' style setting that combines a mix of pear, marquis and round cut diamonds. A good example of this style is the Vine bracelet with its round and pear shaped stones as worn by Sofia Vergara at the Academy Awards this year. More modern influences are seen in the Traffic earrings worn by Clare Danes that are inspired by New York. Interesting that Sandra Bullock and Sofia Vergara chose to mix vintage jewels with newer pieces. Are we seeing a trend here? Let me know what you think while I mull over this one.
