High Jewellery · London · Est. 1960
Graff
The finest diamonds in the world.
Laurence Graff was born in 1938 to Romanian-Russian parents in Stepney, East London. At 15 he began an apprenticeship in Hatton Garden, London's diamond district. Undeterred by an unsympathetic employer, he learned jewellery repair from a workbench in his bedroom. In 1960, at just 22, he founded Graff Diamonds. Within a decade he had established himself as one of the world's leading diamantaires, building lasting relationships with royalty and heads of state — including the Sultan of Brunei, who became a lifelong client and friend.
Laurence Graff has handled more important diamonds than any other dealer of his time — possibly of any time. The house has possessed some of the most legendary stones in history: the Lesotho Promise (603 carats rough), the Lesedi La Rona (302 carats polished — the largest, highest-quality diamond ever certified by the GIA), the Graff Pink (24 carats, Fancy Vivid Pink, purchased for $47 million at Sotheby's in 2010), and the Windsor Yellows — a pair of fancy yellow pear-shaped diamonds that once belonged to Wallis Simpson. In 2013, Graff was appointed OBE for services to the jewellery industry.
Unlike most jewellers, Graff controls every stage of the process from mine to boutique. The company's South African subsidiary handles the cutting and polishing of rough diamonds in Johannesburg. Every piece is designed, manufactured and retailed in-house. This vertically integrated model gives Graff unparalleled control over quality and allows the house to acquire rough stones at source and realise their full potential — cutting and repolishing famous diamonds to improve their colour and clarity grades.
In 2014 at Baselworld, Graff unveiled the Hallucination watch — at the time the most expensive watch ever created, priced at $55 million. A bracelet watch set with 110 carats of fancy coloured diamonds in yellow, blue, pink and other hues, assembled by a team of 30 specialists over four and a half years. Graff's estimated average transaction value of $400,000 is believed to be significantly higher than any rival jeweller, including Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels or Cartier.
Graff operates exclusively at the ultra-luxury end of fine jewellery. Entry pieces — signature faceted diamond bangles, small pendant necklaces — begin around $15,000–$55,000. Significant diamond bracelets and necklaces range from $100,000 to several million. One-of-a-kind high jewellery commissions featuring exceptional coloured diamonds or very large white diamonds reach into the tens of millions. Graff operates over 70 boutiques worldwide.