The genius of Graff

The House of Graff’s pursuit of perfection – and its association with only the very best diamonds in the world – have helped to build a truly dazzling luxury brand. And it is all down to the passion of one man, Laurence Graff, whose story is told in the new Graff Coffee Table Book.

Laurence Graff is looking at a timeline showing more than 80 of the world’s rarest diamonds, each of which has passed through the company over the course of its history. He sits back and contemplates the significance of this magnificent display of rarity. “Amazing, really amazing, incredible that all these stones have gone through our hands. We have been very lucky to own each one, they are all a marvel of nature and represent years and years of hard work and dedication,” he says.

Over the past five decades, the House of Graff has become synonymous with the pursuit of excellence – and with the sourcing and perfecting, polishing and setting of the world’s most fabulous jewels. “From the beginning, my intention was to acquire the best,” he explains, “the rarest, the most unusual.” And although the House of Graff is now a gathering of extraordinary knowhow and expertise – from its London headquarters and workshops and its operation in Africa to its stores throughout the world – all of this came to pass through the passion and insight of this one man: Laurence Graff.

His understanding and appreciation of diamonds, which at times has seemed almost like a sixth sense – combined with his unrivalled business acumen and those celebrated nerves of steel in negotiation and at auction – have enabled him to handle some of the most famous jewels in the world. Take for example the Idol’s Eye, mined in India’s famous Golconda mines on the cusp of the 17th century; imagine the tales it could tell, of being treasured by the sultans of the Ottoman empire – and then stolen from them. Graff recalls, “I read the story a long time before I saw the stone and fell in love with its history and became fascinated by it. It was an exciting moment when I finally studied it; it was light blue, a very unusual looking stone. By this time I already knew without question I would acquire it.”

Or the Emperor Maximilian diamond, once owned by the ill-fated Habsburg archduke who briefly became Emperor of Mexico – only to die by firing squad, leaving behind an Empress driven mad by grief. Or the Wittelsbach-Graff, which by inheritance and dynastic marriage passed through many of Europe’s ruling houses, until it became part of the Bavarian crown jewels after Napoleon elevated the Wittelsbachs from princes to the status of kings. That historic stone was something Laurence Graff was bold enough to repolish and improve – a move that was controversial, but ultimately successful. “It was a diamond that I knew could be made even more beautiful. It was a huge risk and a big relief when it came off the wheel and it was deep blue, flawless and absolutely breathtaking.” Equally, his intuition and confidence have resulted in the cutting and perfecting of new diamonds obtained in the rough, such as the Star of America, a 100.57-carat octagonal step-cut diamond.

Then there are the stunning diamonds that are the Star of Lesotho, the Icon, the Golden Star… Not forgetting the truly extraordinary Paragon, at an astounding 137.82 carats and of the highest grade.This is to name but a few of the more recent stones that have now taken their place in history. But along the way, step by step, and stone by stone, the House’s pursuit of perfection – and its continued association with the very best diamonds in the world – have helped build a global brand and a formidable reputation. “That’s your biggest asset, more than any of these stones, as they can come and go,” Laurence Graff  explains. Indeed, not only is the Graff name indivisibly associated with the world’s rarest jewels; Laurence Graff has also helped alter our perception of certain kinds of rare diamonds.

Fifty years ago, for example, the market did not value coloured diamonds highly, believing that for a diamond to be of the maximum value, it had to be white. Few wanted diamonds that were blue, pink or yellow. Graff remembers the moment in the 1970s when a diamond-cutter in New York first showed him a 31-carat yellow diamond he had polished as a radiant-cut – a square cut with multiple facets. “It was a beautiful stone,” Graff recalls. He at once appreciated how the innovative cut had brought out the fire and life in the yellow diamond. He bought the stone, and from then on sought out other yellow diamonds to transform into spellbinding gems.

Then in 1974 a European dealer showed him a large yellow diamond from an aristocratic Indian family’s collection which they wanted to sell. Graff could instantly see the beauty in the stone, which had not yet been released because of its poor cut, and so bought and repolished it, afterwards christening it as the Star of Bombay. This was a turning point in the appreciation of yellow diamonds. It was through Laurence Graff ’s understanding of how beautiful these stones could be if skilfully cut and polished that the market began to reappraise them, and yellow diamonds saw a dramatic surge in popularity.

Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s revolutionary new cutting styles emerged for fancy coloured diamonds – pioneered by Laurence Graff and his team. In the past stones of all colours had generally been cut in the same way as white diamonds. But although the round brilliant cut is ideal for a white or colourless diamond because it increases reflection, when it comes to fancy coloured diamonds the colour needs to be drawn into the middle of the stone, to enhance its brightness and increase the intensity of colour. 

Laurence Graff therefore brought immense technical expertise to enhancing our perception of coloured diamonds. Yet he also encouraged others to see them quite literally in a new light through his sheer passion for the gems. Imagine the impact on all those fortunate enough to have gazed upon either the startling Imperial Blue, the world’s largest Flawless Fancy Blue diamond, acquired in 1984, or the majestic Empress Rose, the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Light Pink diamond in the world, which he purchased in 2001.