The legendary 300-year-old Dresden Green diamond-the largest and finest natural green diamond ever found-made its U.S. debut at the House of Harry Winston in New York City on Oct. 11.

After its one-day appearance at Harry Winston, the 40.70-ct. green diamond moved to the Smithsonian Institution’s Harry Winston Gallery in Washington, D.C., where it joined the 45.52-ct. Hope Diamond. Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the museum in 1958, and his son Ronald Winston, president and CEO of the House of Harry Winston and president of the Harry Winston Research Foundation, was the driving force behind the Dresden Green’s visit to the United States.

The debut of the Dresden Green included a reception honoring the Smithsonian Institution; the Green Vault, State Arts Collection, Dresden, Germany; and New York’s Central Park Conservancy. To mark the occasion, the City of New York proclaimed Wednesday, Oct. 11, “Harry Winston Day.” During the evening festivities, the Empire State Building and the Harry Winston Fifth Avenue townhouse were bathed in green light.

The history of the Dresden Green dates back more than three centuries, to the early 1700s, when it was purchased by Friedrich Augustus of Saxony. It was set into a badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, an organization founded in 1429 to promote virtue and faith among the nobility.

The Dresden Green will remain on display at the Smithsonian through Jan. 10, 2001, before returning to its home in the Green Vault.