ON A DECEMBER NIGHT in 1944, jewelry designer Harry Winston paused in front of his Scarsdale, N.Y., estate to admire the holly wreath, glistening with snow, hanging on his door. Noticing how its intertwining leaves disappeared beneath the wintry dusting, he had a light-bulb moment: The gemstones, rather than their metallic settings, should shape the piece. Created in partnership with Harry Winston's head designer, Nevdon Koumrouyan, the house's famous Cluster style was born.
Mimicking the contours of a wreath's leaves, it features a mixture of stones in various cuts and at various angles, placed so tightly together that the platinum setting is nearly invisible. It's a signature that has graced everything from pendants to rings and bracelets, but it's the over-the-top Cluster necklace, like a sparkling garland for the neck,…