Lawrence Graff
Encyclopedia
Laurence Graff is an English jeweller. He is best known as a supplier of unique jewellery and rare jewels to the wealthy. In 2008, he bought the Wittelsbach Diamond for £16.4 million ($24.3 million). He recut the diamond, removing 4 carats (800 mg) and receiving criticism for altering the historic jewel.
In 2010 he set a record for the highest price ever paid for a jewel at auction, $46 million dollars/£29m, for a pink diamond
. Graff is estimated to be worth US$
2.5 billion as of 2011.
mother (Rebecca Segal) and Russian
father (Harry Graff). His father made suits off the Commercial Road while his mother ran a tobacconist and newsagents. His brother Raymond was born in 1947. Around 1962, he married his wife Anne-Marie. In 2009 the Graffs were in the process of divorcing but became reconciled.
- the centre of London's jewellery trade since medieval times.
In 1960, he founded the Graff Diamonds
company. By 1974, he had begun specializing in selling to newly rich buyers from the Middle East. In particular, he supplied many jewels for Hassanal Bolkiah
, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.
will be on display together at the Smithsonian Institution
beginning the end of January 2010. n).
In 2010 he set a record for the highest price ever paid for a jewel at auction, $46 million dollars/£29m, for a pink diamond
Graff Pink (diamond)
The Graff Pink, a rare 24.78 carat pink diamond, once owned by American celebrity jeweller Harry Winston, has been described as "one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered". The diamond, mounted in a ring, was sold by Sotheby's auctioneers in Geneva, Switzerland on 16 November 2010...
. Graff is estimated to be worth US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.5 billion as of 2011.
Personal life
Graff was born in Stepney (the London East End) in 1938 into a Jewish family, the son of a RomanianRomanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
mother (Rebecca Segal) and Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
father (Harry Graff). His father made suits off the Commercial Road while his mother ran a tobacconist and newsagents. His brother Raymond was born in 1947. Around 1962, he married his wife Anne-Marie. In 2009 the Graffs were in the process of divorcing but became reconciled.
Career
Graff left school and became an apprentice when he was 15. He was fired from that job after three months. His next job trained him to repair rings and create small pieces of jewellery. That jewellery shop went out of business. Graff began selling his jewellery designs independently to jewellers all over England. By 1962, he had two jewellery shops, including his first in Hatton GardenHatton Garden
Hatton Garden is a street and area near Holborn in London, England. It is most famous for being London’s jewellery quarter and centre of the UK diamond trade, but the area is also now home to a diverse range of media and creative businesses....
- the centre of London's jewellery trade since medieval times.
In 1960, he founded the Graff Diamonds
Graff Diamonds
- History :It was founded in London by Laurence Graff in the 1960s and now has worldwide operations which range from cutting the raw stones and manufacture of jewelry to the final retailing from their 26 boutiques...
company. By 1974, he had begun specializing in selling to newly rich buyers from the Middle East. In particular, he supplied many jewels for Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.
The Destruction of the Wittelsbach Diamond
In 2008, Graff purchased the Wittelsbach Diamond for £16.4 million Sterling, which was a considerable premium over the £9 million guide price. Almost two years later, Graff revealed he had had three diamond cutters repolish the stone to eliminate the chips and improve the clarity, reducing the diamond from 35.52 carats (7.1 g) to 31 carats (6.2 g). This action has been compared by critics to making the Mona Lisa prettier. However, according to gemologist Richard W. Wise, "At a cost of only 4.45 carats the recut and renamed Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond has been raised from a GIA grade of Fancy Deep Grayish Blue to a Fancy Deep Blue. Its clarity grade has been likewise elevated from VS2 to Internally Flawless (IF). This is a substantial upgrade." Further, the "Graff recut retained the original double stellate brilliant facet pattern thus retaining the overall look of the original stone." The renamed Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond and the Hope DiamondHope Diamond
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
will be on display together at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
beginning the end of January 2010. n).