The House of Graff approach making jewellery from a slightly different angle than their more traditional rivals. For them it is all about the gemstones themselves. As they say on their website:
‘Imagine dedicating your life to discovering the world’s most remarkable diamonds and gemstones, a treasure hunt that takes you to all corners of the globe, in search of these elusive wonders. This quest has consumed the Graff family ever since the House was founded almost 60 years ago, and continues to do so today’
The story behind Graff is one of vision, determination and focus. Laurence Graff did what we all should do in life: he followed his passion, dared to dream big and believed in himself.
The Graff Lesedi La Rona Diamond
He started out working as an apprentice in a workshop in Hatton Garden when he was 15 years old. It is said that naysayers tried to discourage him but Graff didn’t listen. He believed he was born to work with diamonds. He not only worked with them, he studied them and seemed to develop an innate understanding of all gemstones. In 1960, aged 24 he founded Graff diamonds and within a couple of years two shops had opened in London. He took his stunning jewellery creations around the world to exhibitions and to showcase to potential clients in their palaces and private yachts. Graff soon began to develop a global reputation and his pieces became highly sought after. There are now over forty shops worldwide and Laurence Graff is said to have handled more important diamonds than any other ‘diamantaire’ this century.
What makes Graff jewellery so special is that they pride themselves on being part of the whole process of jewellery making. From the responsible sourcing of beautiful gem crystals to the meticulous cutting and polishing to optimise their colour and brilliance. With their incredible combination of pioneering technology and age old jewellery making techniques their designers and craftspeople create sculptural works of art. It is all about perfection. As Laurence Graff said himself:
‘No stage is bypassed. No shortcuts are taken. Only perfection matters.’
It’s such a treat to look into a Graff shop window because there is always a dazzling display. They have handled some of the rarest, the largest and most beautiful gems in existence, encompassing them in magical jewellery designs and really honouring these wonders of nature.
Last year they unveiled The Graff Lesedi La Rona Diamond, the world’s largest square emerald cut diamond weighing 302.37cts. It is the largest highest colour and clarity diamond ever certificated by the GIA. It took 18 months to extract and sculpt this record breaking gem from the 1,109ct rough crystal.
Other amazing gems in their collection include the Golden Empress, an intense yellow cushion cut diamond weighing 132.55cts and the Graff Pink, is a vivid pink, internally flawless diamond of 23.88cts.
Graff’s philosophy is the same across all of their jewellery collections. As a jewellery valuer it’s a privilege to be able to examine and appraise such beautiful creations. It comes as no surprise that the price of such jewels continues to rise.
Ruby and diamond earrings and pendant from The Lotus Collection. Originally purchased in 2015 for £102,750. To replace them today would cost £128,500
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to value these stunning ruby and diamond earrings and pendant from The Lotus Collection. They were originally purchased in 2015 for £102,750. To replace them today would cost £128,500. That’s quite a significant increase over a five year period. When was the last time your jewellery was professionally valued? Do the values on your spreadsheet really reflect the increase in the price of gold, diamonds and coloured gems, not to mention the rise in manufacturing costs? Or is the figure just a random percentage increase which may lead to a shortfall in compensation in the event of loss? Surely it’s not worth the risk, especially when it comes to such magnificent pieces as these.
