Bowing Out: A Jeweler to the Maharajas :: International Herald Tribune :: If diamonds are a girl ‘ s best friend, then Ambaji Shinde is the best buddy precious stones can ever have, writes Suzy Menkes, the greatest living fashion journalist. For 64 years he designed jewels for the rich, the famous and infamous, writes Suzy Menkes in International Herald Tribune , of which 40 were spent at Harry Winston, the New York jeweler, from which Shinde, 84, is finally retiring at the end of this year, breaking the last link with a world of fabled extravagance and glittering plenty. Occasionally, a client will still ask for a design and Shinde, at his easel with a cluster of tiny paintbrushes, will create an instant detailed watercolor – each a painting in its own right.