Creature of the night
The heady days – and even more inebriating nights – of New York City in the 1930s saw newly emancipated society women painting the town red, revelling in a freedom that proved to be intoxicating in its novelty. They did not go unaccompanied; jewellery clutches were their nocturnal chaperons, holding the few things every lady needs to survive a wild night in town.
The New York Companion high jewellery clutch is Harry Winston’s tribute to the heydays of its birth city. On the 18k white gold outer shell, a black glossy lacquer represents the inky darkness of night and acts as the perfect backdrop for the gems, which are arranged to mimic the lights and skyscrapers of the Big Apple. Eight baguette-cut rubies, 21 baguette-cut emeralds and 281 diamonds, set alongside mother-of-pearl panels, convey the bright lights of the city. A diamond skyscraper runs down the centre of the clutch, topped by a crown of black onyx. In this crown is a fabulous secret: swivel it to reveal a hidden dial, with which the time can be read discreetly.
If the exterior was inspired by New York’s nights, then the lightness of day beckons within. Mother-of-pearl marquetry gives the interior of the New York Companion a subtle sheen, while mirrors allow the lady to touch up her makeup with ease.
