Graff: Big, Brilliant, Beautiful
The House of Graff uncovers and strings together some of the most exquisite diamonds. Here’s the timeline.
2017: The Lesedi La Rona
The largest rough diamond in the world, so far, weighs 1,109 carats and costs 53 million dollars. Unbelievable figures, aren’t they? But it is precisely for them that Graff holds the footing it does in the international market of rare and exceptional stones. One can only fantasise about the magnificent jewel this diamond will give birth to once it has been cut and polished.
1974: The Star of Bombay
When a merchant presented to Laurence Graff, a rough diamond with a particularly rare yellow hue, his instinct drove him to acquire it immediately. Yielded by an Indian family, the diamond, once resized, kicked off the now prominent popularity of yellow gemstones.
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2006: The Promise of Lesotho
Found in the mines of Letseng in Lesotho in 2006, this diamond stands at 603 carats and is the 15th largest diamond ever found. Graff acquired it for 12 million dollars. “This diamond has been the high point of my career. But in this industry, one can never know what the next discovery might be,” confesses Laurence Graff.
1987: The Eternal Twins
A couple of identical diamonds are extremely rare, especially of great quality. This feat was achieved by Graff in 1987 with a pair of earrings each of 50.23 carats, cut from a gemstone of 269 carats uncovered in the mines of Karowe in Botswana.
2009: The Wittelsbach
One out of ten thousand diamonds is coloured. So, it was a battle that Graff fought tooth and nail to win this jewel of 31.11 carats at a Christie’s auction. A diamond from India was bought for 24.3 million dollars. In 1664, the king of Spain, Philippe IV gifted this diamond to his daughter and has also adorned the crown of Louis I of Bavaria.
1993: The Pink Supreme
With its 10.83-carat weight and an acidulous clarity, presented in an elegant pear cut, the Pink Supreme diamond, spotted at an auction by Laurence Graff in 1993 in Geneva, which he acquired for approximately 6 million Swiss francs, meets all expectations.
2001: The Golden Empress
It is in the heart of Lesotho, a little kingdom in the South of Africa, that one would find the open-air mine of Letseng. Within this very mine was hidden a treasure of 299 carats which, after being cut, retained 132.55 carats. Graff placed this spectacular diamond as the pendant in a divine necklace which, when worn, appears as if part of one’s skin.
2015: The Saffron Diamond
A very peculiar cognac hue emanates from this unique diamond of its genre. Racking up 79.98 carats on the counter in a perfect emerald cut which complements and displays all the richness of its golden glow.
2016: The Vendôme
It has become a symbol of sorts to celebrate the return of this English house to the recently renovated galleries of the Ritz. So, when Graff unveiled the Vendôme diamond, it did not come as a surprise with its sheer size and brilliance. This pear cut diamond of 105.07 carats was first cut by laser and then hand polished to obtain an almost blinding brilliance.
From the December 2017 issue of L’Officiel India.
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