Founded in 1960, English jewelry brand Graff Diamonds is comprised of beautiful and unique collections of luxury jewelry that exude the essence of femininity through its elegant and classic jewelry designs. Graff Diamonds has implemented this importance through the natural beauty of the diamonds used in the design of its jewelry, each of which has a story behind it as old as Graff’s history. In this article, we discuss the luxury brand Graff Jewelry, which is the supplier of the world’s largest precious diamonds with a historical reputation.
The ups and downs story of Graf jewelry
Laurence Graff, a famous English jeweler, was born in 1938 in a Jewish family from a Romanian mother and a Russian father named Harry Graff. A passion for diamonds has been the driving force of Laurence Graff’s life since he first sat on a jeweler’s bench in Houghton Gardens, London’s jewelry district, years ago. The story of Lawrence Graf’s life metamorphosis is much like that of a diamond, turning from rough and raw carbon into a precious and incredibly eye-catching gem. He says about this: “I was always fascinated by diamonds. I remember looking at them, studying them closely to understand their purity and how they were cut. “It was an innate interest that has turned into a lifelong passion.”
When her mother took her to her first job as an apprentice jeweler at Houghton Gardenland when she was 15, she asked the owner, Mr. Schindler, “How far can she go?” Mr. Schindler replied: “Our limit is the sky.” However, after three months of mopping floors, occasionally leveling a piece of metal, repairing rings and making small pieces of jewelry, and learning his trade in day classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, the young Graf was told he would “never make the grade in this field.” will not earn for acceptance”. “Not only did I not give up, but I continued with more determination,” says Graff. The entrepreneurial instincts and drive he inherited from his shrewd grandmother, Kathy Graff, came to his aid and pushed him forward. “I am the child of a hardworking family and I was born with a strong will to succeed.”
It wasn’t long before Graff founded his first company, Graff Diamonds, at the age of 18. It was at this time that he was working with another jeweler. This company was actually founded for the purpose of repairing Victorian jewelry. Lawrence Graff’s entrepreneurial talent, opportunistic nature and courage to take risks all contributed to the growth of his business. One of these cases happened at the beginning of the establishment of “Graph Diamonds” company. The story goes that Graff met a diamond dealer who convinced him to sell him 33 small diamonds for £60. “Instead of making 33 separate rings, I put them all on one ring and created a unique sparkle of the diamond,” says Graff. “I sold the ring to a jeweler in the north of England who contacted me shortly after I returned to London to say that he had sold the ring and wanted to order another.”
This flow became the source of his inspiration for the next jewelry design: “I thought of other ways to make unique rings that everyone would like. For example, I took a diamond and placed six stones around it, then placed 12 stones around it to create a 19-stone cluster. After making all-diamond rings, I also started working with emeralds, rubies, and sapphires.”
Lawrence Graf values and respects the clients he meets. He happily admits that this is one of the perks of being in the business: “I’ve become friends with some of our customers, and those relationships have now been passed down to the second generation, as my son Francois has inherited them. Now Graff is a family business, and people who walk into our jewelry boutiques and buy our jewelry become part of our family. They buy what we like. We love our jewelry like our children. “They are very, very special to us and we strive to offer jewelry that will last forever.”
The Graf brand gradually began to develop and gain global fame and popularity. Of course, the Graf jewelry brand has always acted obsessively and cautiously to establish its international boutiques. The first Graff boutique outside the UK opened in 2000 at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and now the luxury jewelery brand has more than 50 boutiques worldwide, including New York, Las Vegas, Kiev, Beijing and Monte Carlo. In 1962, Laurence Graff married French Anne-Marie and they had three children, now his son Francois is the CEO of their family business. Graf separated from Anne Marie a few years later and currently lives in Gstaad, Switzerland.
It is not bad to know that Graff is also an art collector, his first interest was in impressionism paintings and later on contemporary art. For example, Graff bought the painting “Lise” by Andy Warhol for $12.6 million. It is interesting to know that the rare portrait of “Elizabeth Taylor”, the veteran American actress, which is called “Liz (Elizabeth) Silver” was created in 1963 and was not displayed anywhere for many years.
Why is Graf brand jewelry special and unique?
Throughout its career, the luxury brand Graff has used some of the most famous diamonds and colored gemstones in the world. Simple graphic designs enhance the natural brilliance of diamonds and transcend the confines of fashion. This jewelry house is still diligently involved in all stages of a diamond’s life, from mining and cutting to designing and manufacturing. Graff jewelry watches are also prized today for their stunning diamond designs. In 1973, Graff was the first jeweler to receive the Queen’s Award for Industry and Export. Since then, the company has received the award four more times. In the early 1980s, the Graff name was synonymous with historic diamonds and colored jewelry of remarkable quality. In recent years, celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Anna Kendrick have worn Graf jewelry on the red carpet.
Among the signatures of the Graff brand are the Graff Wild Flower and Graff Butterfly collections, which include the brand’s famous butterfly diamond earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Graff gold engagement and wedding rings and Graff diamond wedding rings are also popular. Among the most famous Graff diamonds are The Begum Blue, The Emperor Maximilian and The Hope of Africa. The use of very large diamonds on the jewelry of this famous luxury jewelry brand is another difference between this famous jeweler and other famous jewelers in the world, and in fact, it is the most important difference between this brand and other luxury jewelry brands. Another unique policy of the Graff brand regarding its diamonds is that it buys old and used diamonds through individuals from all over the world and uses them in its new designs. For this reason, in addition to designing elegant and stylish diamond jewelry with unique cuts and trimmings, Graf brand is also famous for buying and restoring diamonds.
For example, perhaps the most famous “Wittelsbach” diamond is a 17th century blue diamond from the Golconda mines of India. In 2008, Graff bought this 35.56 carat stone for over £16 million at Christie’s. In 2009, this diamond was renamed as Wittelsbach Graf diamond. As we said, this blue diamond originates from the legendary “Golkonda” mine in India, which also gave birth to the famous “Hope” diamond, a diamond that has been cherished and respected by European royal families for centuries. You should know that the Wittelsbach Graff Diamond, which is currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History, is a historical treasure. This stone is blue in all its 82 asymmetric faces. The Wittelsbach Graf diamond has been the crown jewel of Austria and Bavaria throughout history. In 2010, Graff cut the diamond to remove the flaws, making it about 4 carats smaller, making the Wittelsbach Diamond the “Wittelsbach Graff Diamond”. Of course, this decision was controversial because the diamond in its original form had great historical value.
The forerunner of Graff’s premium colored stones is, of course, the Graff Ruby, an 8.62-carat gem of exceptional pigeon blood color from the historic Mogok mine in Burma. Graff also designs jewelry with colored gemstones of the rarest quality. In 2006, Christie’s sold a magnificent 8.26-carat Burmese ruby ring set for 4,724,000 francs, the highest price ever sold for a ruby per carat at the time. The diamond was purchased and reset by Graff, who renamed it the Graff Ruby. Additionally, in 2020, Christie’s sold a Graff fantasy yellow diamond brooch for $2,580,000 and a stunning Graff diamond necklace for $54,000 in 2022. At the same time, a pair of diamond earrings were sold for $126,000.
Important newly discovered diamonds include the Constellation Graff, weighing 102.79 carats, the world’s largest flawless round brilliant-cut diamond, the 118.08 carat Delaire Sunrise, the largest yellow diamond, and a fancy square-cut emerald. , and of course the most stunning of them all: the Lesedi La Rona diamond, at 302.37 carats, is the largest, highest color, and clearest diamond ever certified by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America).
A look at the most unique Graff brand jewelry
Unlike other world-renowned jewelry houses, which release high-end jewelry collections at certain times of the year, Graff is unique in that it creates one-of-a-kind pieces year-round with self-cut and polished diamonds. In the following, we will introduce you 5 of the top jewels designed by Graf Diamonds.
1-Eternal twins of the graph
Cutting and polishing a 50.23 carat “D Flawless” diamond is an extraordinary achievement. Until Graff undertook this important task, two identical diamonds, identical in every respect, had never been made. Their realization is a testament to the vision of Lawrence Graff, who created two emerald-cut diamonds from a 269-carat rough diamond discovered in Botswana. Each of these diamonds weighs 5.23 and is placed symmetrically in a pair of earrings.
2- Graph ruby
This may happen once in the life of every jeweler. One day you get a stone that is so special you have to have it “twice”. For Laurence Graff, this jewel is the Graff ruby. The graph ruby, which is known as the most important ruby in the world, was discovered in the “Mogok Valley” of Myanmar; A place that historically is the origin of the best rubies in the world. Weighing in at 8.62 carats, this stone exhibits a unique combination of ancient Burmese mining provenance, weight, purity, clarity and color, all of which indicate its extraordinary significance. The deep color of Pigeon’s Blood, most sought after by ruby connoisseurs, is excellent, the richest red with blue undertones. Mr. Graff has acquired and sold some of the world’s most exceptional jewelry.
However, he has said that the Graff ruby is one of the best stones he has come across in his career. This ring is actually one of the most expensive ruby rings in the world, which was bought in 2015 for 8.2 million Swiss francs ($8.6 million) by Laurence Graf at Sotheby’s auction in Geneva, Switzerland. Graff bought this 8.62 carat red ruby ring for the second time. He bought the ring eight years ago for $3.6 million at an auction and at the same time renamed it Graff Ruby and sold it to Greek financier Dimitri Mavrometis. This dove blood red cushion ruby with blue veins, set in a white metal ring between triangular diamonds and round brilliant cut diamonds, is one of the most exceptional jewels in the world.
3- Graff Lesotho Promise necklace
In 2006, Lawrence Graf acquired a 603-carat rough diamond discovered in Lesotho, South Africa, and decided to turn it into one of the most iconic pieces of jewelry of all time. Dubbed the Promise of Lesotho, this amazing stone was found in an abandoned diamond mine high in the mountains of Lesotho and was named so because of the promise it held for the future discovery of diamonds of similar importance in the tiny landlocked kingdom. Graff spent about 18 months focused on analyzing, cutting and polishing this epic stone and unveiled the fruit of his efforts 18 months later: 26 exceptionally uniform diamonds, all flawless, weighing a total of 223.35 carats. However, instead of presenting these exquisite stones as individual masterpieces, Graff took the bold step of incorporating a collection of round, emerald-cut, marquise, pear, and heart diamonds into one jewel: the Lesotho Promise Necklace. . Set with four large diamonds, beginning with an incredibly precious heart diamond and ending with a flawless 76.41 carat pear diamond, this necklace has gone down in history as one of the most valuable pieces of jewelry ever made.
4- Graf peacock brooch
Brooches have played a prominent role in Graf’s history, providing the perfect setting to showcase rare jewelry collections and an opportunity for Graf Diamonds designers to express their creativity in a unique piece of jewelry; In particular, the “figure designs” that have become Graff’s signature are a contemporary expression of nature that fascinates with attention to many details. Birds are a subject that Graff often relies on in his unique pins. Bird of paradise, parrots and love birds are all designed and crafted by Graff Jewelery House with taste and originality.
Meanwhile, “Peacock diamond brooch” (Peacock) from Graf brand is the most valuable brooch in the world. It was first shown at the “Tifaf” exhibition in Maastricht. This peacock-shaped piece has a total weight of 120.81 carats. Its centerpiece is a dark blue diamond that alone weighs 20.02 carats and is one of the rarest blue diamonds in the world. Peacock brooch has 1305 pink, yellow, blue, orange, white and green diamonds. The fancy pear-shaped blue diamond at its center can be detached from the peacock brooch and worn alone as a special piece. This very precious bird is valued at a staggering $100 million.
5- Lesotho graph pink diamond ring
One of the most antique Graff jewelry is “Graff Lesotho Pink Diamond Ring” which was unveiled in 2019. This pink diamond is cut and polished from a 13.33 carat pink rough diamond that was discovered at the Letšeng mine in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the same mine where the 603 carat “Lesotho Promise” diamond was discovered, Laurence Graff of the same The moment he laid eyes on it for the first time, he knew this stone was very special. “This is the clearest pink rough diamond I have ever seen and an exceptional and rare treasure,” he said at the time of his acquisition. I am sure that the polished diamond from this rough diamond will be an antique gem in our famous jewelry collection. “It’s a great privilege to have this natural miracle, we may never see anything like it again.” Of course he was right, the master’s cuts and polishes yielded an extraordinary 5.63 carat pink pear diamond that showed a depth of pink color so rich and intense it almost looked red. In the classic Graff ring, the brilliant color of this rare and unique diamond is enhanced by pear-shaped pink side stones and rose gold prongs. The rarity of the Lesotho Graff pink diamond is compounded by the fact that the Argyll mine in Australia, the world’s leading source of pink diamonds, will soon be closed.
The most famous Graff brand jewelry watches
Among the most expensive watches in the world, the names of two masterpieces from the Jahan jewelry brand also shine.
1- Hallucination Clock
The most expensive watch in the world belongs to the Graf brand. Priced at around $55 million, the Hallucination watch is a jewelry masterpiece consisting of 110 carats of colored diamonds set on a platinum bracelet. At the center of all these beautiful and breathtaking colored diamonds is the small dial of the watch. This extraordinary watch consists of diamonds in different colors such as pink, yellow, green and blue. The design of this watch was done by Lawrence Graff himself. This watch with a price of 55 million dollars was first unveiled in 2014 and took the same rank as the most expensive women’s watch in the world.
2- Fascination watch
This watch from the Graff Diamond jewelry house with 152.96 carats of white diamonds and a diamond cut in the shape of a tear and weighing 38.13 carats is one of the most expensive watches in the world and the second most expensive watch of the Graff brand. This piece is convertible and can be worn as a watch, bracelet or ring. Keeping the center diamond fixed makes it also wearable as a bracelet, while removing the diamond and replacing it with a watch mechanism transforms this stunning gem into a watch. Finally, the center diamond can be set into a specially designed ring mount and worn as a ring. Despite its dry and formal appearance, this bracelet is flexible and comfortable on the wrist, as each diamond strung along is individually articulated.
Graf brand awards and honors
Graff is known as the “King of Diamonds”. In 2013, Lawrence Graff was appointed OBE (Overder of the British Empire), the highest honor by the British monarchy, for his lifetime service to the jewelery industry. This title was awarded to Lawrence Graf by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of the brand’s outstanding craftsmanship. To this day, Lawrence Graff remains the undisputed king of diamonds, a man revered in the jewelry world for his visionary leadership in the jewelry industry and his fearlessness in acquiring and shaping some of the world’s most valuable diamonds; Diamonds that are all extraordinary in size, quality and rarity.
In designing diamonds, Graff combines sixth sense with expertise in diamond cutting and polishing. This luxury diamond jewelery brand works with the best diamond cutters in the world, in Botswana, South Africa, New York and Antwerp, where the most skilled craftsmen work on the most challenging stones, including colored, rare and unique diamonds. Many famous, historical and magnificent diamonds of the world have passed through the hands of Graff and the ateliers of this expensive brand.
Famous clients of the Graf brand range from the Sultan of Brunei to Donald Trump
At this time, the reputation of “Graff Diamonds” jewelry house in the international scene was increasing day by day. Graff’s luxury jewelry brand, especially in the Middle East, where rich and famous individuals such as the Sultan of Brunei, Hassan Al Bolkiah, became his clients and then close friends. Customers with this reputation are not few; Among the famous people who support this expensive brand, we can mention figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Trump, Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Tom Hanks, Princess Diana, Larry Ellison and Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz, some of whom personally visited the Graf boutique. And they have bought or ordered each and every piece they want.
final word
Graff Jewelry is a magnificent feast of exquisite combinations of diamonds and gemstones that are flawlessly combined to create an abstract harmony of infinite elegance. Currently, this brand continues to push the boundaries of unique designs and flawless engineering of diamond jewelry, with the establishment of luxury boutiques around the world and a well-deserved and respected position in the world’s annual gold and jewelry exhibitions, the same features that made the Graff name famous from the beginning. .
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