SourcingFeb 20, 2025
Harry Winston’s Son Donates Fancy Red Diamond to the SmithsonianSourcingApr 02, 2025
Winston’s Collection of Natural Color Diamonds Now on Display in D.C.
Ronald Winston, son of Harry Winston, donated the diamonds to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
These 15 diamonds are part of the Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection, which went on view this week at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The diamonds in the collection vary in color from a soft peach to a deep teal and range in size from 0.40 to 9.49 carats. (Photo credit: Robert Weldon, arranged by Gabriela Farfan/Photo courtesy of Ronald Winston)
Washington, D.C.—A collection of more than 40 natural color diamonds that it took Ronald Winston six decades to amass is now available for the public to see.
The Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection was unveiled Tuesday at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
The centerpiece of the collection is a diamond that is rare both because of its size and its color.
The 2.33-carat “Winston Red” is one of the largest red diamonds the Gemological Institute of America has ever graded as fancy red.
It is an old mine brilliant-cut diamond, which suggests it was cut before the mid-1900s.
“The red diamond is the highlight of my career, and I have never seen anything else like it,” Winston said in a press release when the museum announced the donation earlier this year.
“This donation to the museum represents my life’s achievements in this domain, and I am so happy to share this collection with the [Smithsonian] Institution and the museum’s visitors.”
The Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection was unveiled Tuesday at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
The centerpiece of the collection is a diamond that is rare both because of its size and its color.
The 2.33-carat “Winston Red” is one of the largest red diamonds the Gemological Institute of America has ever graded as fancy red.
The centerpiece of the Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection that Ronald Winston donated to the Smithsonian is this 2.33-carat fancy red diamond dubbed the “Winston Red.” (Photo credit: Robert Weldon/Photo courtesy of Ronald Winston)
It is an old mine brilliant-cut diamond, which suggests it was cut before the mid-1900s.
“The red diamond is the highlight of my career, and I have never seen anything else like it,” Winston said in a press release when the museum announced the donation earlier this year.
“This donation to the museum represents my life’s achievements in this domain, and I am so happy to share this collection with the [Smithsonian] Institution and the museum’s visitors.”
The Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection is on view in the Winston Gallery, a section of the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals named in honor of Ronald’s father, Harry Winston.
Harry donated a historic blue diamond to the museum back in 1958 that is still on display there—the Hope Diamond.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is open seven days a week (except for Dec. 25) from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
More on the science and history of the “Winston Red” will be available in the spring 2025 issue of GIA’s quarterly journal, Gems & Gemology.
Related stories will be right here …
Harry donated a historic blue diamond to the museum back in 1958 that is still on display there—the Hope Diamond.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is open seven days a week (except for Dec. 25) from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
More on the science and history of the “Winston Red” will be available in the spring 2025 issue of GIA’s quarterly journal, Gems & Gemology.
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