Graff was founded in 1960 by London jeweller Laurence Graff. Over the course of his career, Graff has handled some of the most celebrated diamonds and coloured gemstones in the world. His simple settings enhance their natural brilliance and transcend the whims of fashion. Graff watches are also prized today for their dazzling diamond design.
In 1973, Graff became the first jeweller to
Graff was founded in 1960 by London jeweller Laurence Graff. Over the course of his career, Graff has handled some of the most celebrated diamonds and coloured gemstones in the world. His simple settings enhance their natural brilliance and transcend the whims of fashion. Graff watches are also prized today for their dazzling diamond design.
In 1973, Graff became the first jeweller to receive the Queen’s Award to Industry and Export. Since then, the company has received this award a further four times. By the early 1980s, Graff was synonymous with historic diamonds and coloured gems of remarkable quality. In recent years, A-list celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Anna Kendrick have worn Graff jewellery on the red carpet.
The house is still involved with every stage of a diamond’s life, from mining and cutting to designing and manufacturing. The Graff brand is now one of the largest diamond corporations in the world and is represented by more than 50 stores worldwide.
Signature lines include the Graff Wild Flower collection and Graff Butterfly collection, which includes his celebrated Graff diamond butterfly earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Graff engagement rings, gold Graff wedding bands and Graff diamond wedding rings are also popular.
Notable Graff diamonds include The Begum Blue, The Emperor Maximilian and The Hope of Africa. Perhaps the most famous, however, was the Wittelsbach, a 17th-century blue diamond from the Golconda mines of India. In 2008, Graff acquired the 35.56-carat stone for more than £16 million at Christie’s London. In 2009, the diamond was renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond.
In 2009, Christie’s sold an important Graff diamond ring set with a fancy vivid pink diamond for HK$83,540,000. This was a record price-per-carat for any pink diamond at that time.
Graff has also designed jewels set with coloured gems of the rarest quality. In 2006, Christie’s sold a magnificent ring set with an 8.62 carat Burmese ruby for CHF 4,724,000 — at the time the highest price-per-carat ruby ever sold. It was bought and reset by Graff, who rechristened it the Graff Ruby.