Graff
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGraff is a London-based British luxury jeweller known for exceptional diamonds, vertically integrated craftsmanship, high jewellery, and diamond-set watches.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Graff is a British luxury jewellery house founded in London in 1960 by jeweller Laurence Graff. The company operates across the design, cutting, polishing, manufacture, and retail distribution of jewellery and watches, giving it a degree of vertical integration unusual among international luxury jewellers. Its identity is closely associated with rare and important diamonds, elaborate high-jewellery commissions, and a presentation style centred on exceptional stones rather than broad-volume fashion jewellery. The house developed from Laurence Graff’s work as a diamond dealer and jeweller and became particularly prominent through the acquisition, transformation, and public presentation of major gemstones. Important stones associated with Graff include the Windsor Yellows, the Paragon diamond, the Lesotho Promise, the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond, the Delaire Sunrise, the Graff Pink, and the Graff Lesedi La Rona. These stones have helped establish the brand’s reputation for handling large, unusually coloured, historically significant, or exceptionally clear diamonds. Graff’s approach often includes recutting or redesigning stones to improve their colour, clarity, brilliance, or wearable form. Graff’s activities extend beyond loose diamonds. Its jewellery collections include high jewellery, coloured-diamond pieces, bridal jewellery, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and brooches. The company also developed a watch business with proprietary mechanical movements, including the Graff Calibre 1 through Calibre 4, used in models such as the GraffStar GrandDate, ScubaGraff, GraffStar Slim, and MasterGraff Ultra Flat Tourbillon. The Hallucination, a highly elaborate diamond-set watch unveiled in 2014, exemplifies the house’s strategy of combining watchmaking with gem-setting spectacle. The business has expanded internationally through boutiques and corporate offices in major luxury centres. Its first location outside the United Kingdom opened at Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris in 2000, and the company has subsequently maintained a global boutique network, including a major Paris location on Rue Saint-Honoré. Corporate offices have been associated with London, New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The supplied country information identifies Japan, but the authoritative reference subject is a British jeweller headquartered in London rather than a Japanese company. Graff also places emphasis on diamond provenance and responsible sourcing. The company states that it follows the Kimberley Process and does not knowingly purchase or trade rough diamonds from areas where such trade would encourage conflict or human suffering. Many of its diamonds are laser-inscribed with unique Gemological Institute of America tracking numbers, supporting identification and traceability. Cutting and polishing operations are carried out in Johannesburg through the South African Diamond Corporation, a Graff division. The house received the Queen’s Award for Industry and Export in 1973, becoming the first jeweller to receive the distinction, and later received the award several more times, most recently in 2014 according to the reference material. Graff has also experienced repeated high-value robberies at its London and international premises, which form a notable part of the company’s documented history. It remains an active privately held luxury jewellery and watch brand with a business model focused on rare stones, craftsmanship, controlled production, and high-net-worth clientele.
History
Graff was established in London in 1960 by Laurence Graff, a British jeweller whose career was built around diamonds and exceptional gemstones. From its beginning, the house combined jewellery design with specialist gem dealing and developed a reputation for working with stones that were unusually large, rare, historically notable, or strongly coloured. Rather than presenting itself primarily as a volume jewellery retailer, Graff built its name through high-value individual stones and one-off or limited high-jewellery creations. A defining characteristic of the business is vertical integration. Graff’s activities encompass the sourcing and acquisition of diamonds, cutting and polishing, jewellery design, manufacture, and distribution through its own retail network. The company’s cutting and polishing operations in Johannesburg are conducted through the South African Diamond Corporation, a Graff division. This structure allows the house to control how important rough stones are evaluated, cut, finished, mounted, and ultimately presented to clients. The company’s historical profile is closely tied to prominent diamonds. In 1981 it acquired the 70.54-carat Sultan Abdul Hamid II stone. In 1987 Laurence Graff purchased four diamonds from the auction of Wallis Simpson’s jewels and later reworked them into the Windsor earrings. The seven-sided 137.82-carat Paragon diamond followed in 1989. In 2006 Graff acquired the 603-carat Lesotho Promise rough diamond and arranged its cutting into 26 D-flawless diamonds, a project noted for its unusually high total yield. The company also became associated with the Wittelsbach-Graff, a 31.06-carat deep-blue diamond acquired in 2008, and the Delaire Sunrise, a 118.08-carat yellow diamond produced from a South African rough stone discovered that year. In 2010 Graff acquired the Graff Pink, a pink Type IIa diamond that was recut from 24.78 carats to 23.88 carats with improved colour and clarity characteristics. The house continued to pursue major stones in the following decade. Graff acquired the Lesedi La Rona rough diamond in 2017 and produced the 302.37-carat Graff Lesedi La Rona in 2019, along with 66 smaller diamonds. The company describes the finished stone as having exceptional colour and clarity and as holding a notable Gemological Institute of America grading distinction. Graff expanded its international retail presence during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Its first location outside the United Kingdom opened in Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris in 2000. The company later operated a global network of more than 50 boutiques according to the reference material, with a major Rue Saint-Honoré boutique in Paris and corporate offices associated with London, New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The brand’s retail strategy places it in prestigious luxury-shopping districts and resort destinations. The house also developed a watch division. It introduced the proprietary Graff Calibre 1 in 2010, followed by Calibre 2 in 2011, Calibre 3 in 2012, and Calibre 4 in 2013. These movements supported the GraffStar GrandDate, ScubaGraff, GraffStar Slim, and MasterGraff Ultra Flat Tourbillon lines. In 2014 the company unveiled the Hallucination at Baselworld, a quartz watch covered with 110 carats of fancy-colour diamonds and designed as a spectacular high-jewellery timepiece. Responsible sourcing became part of the company’s public operating narrative. Graff states that it follows the Kimberley Process and does not knowingly trade rough diamonds from conflict areas where commerce could contribute to human suffering. Many of its diamonds carry invisible laser inscriptions linked to GIA tracking numbers, supporting identification and provenance tracing. Graff’s history also includes repeated robberies. London locations were targeted in 1980, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, while the Dubai boutique was attacked in 2007. The incidents involved armed theft, ram raids, and alleged members of international jewellery-theft networks. Despite these events, Graff remains an active private luxury house focused on exceptional diamonds, high jewellery, watches, and direct international retail distribution.
- 2019
Graff Lesedi La Rona completed
[1]The company completed the cutting of the 302.37-carat Graff Lesedi La Rona from the Lesedi La Rona rough diamond.
- 2014
Hallucination watch unveiled
[1]Graff presented the diamond-set Hallucination watch at Baselworld.
- 2010
First proprietary watch movement
[1]Graff introduced the Graff Calibre 1 in the GraffStar GrandDate.
- 2000
First international location
[1]The house opened its first location outside the United Kingdom at Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris.
- 1973
First Queen’s Award for Industry and Export
[1]Graff became the first jeweller to receive the British award for industry and export.
- 1960
Graff founded in London
[1]Laurence Graff established the British jewellery house in London.
Products and positioning
Ultra-luxury diamond house positioned around exceptional gemstones, high jewellery, craftsmanship, rarity, provenance, and vertically integrated control from stone sourcing and cutting through design, manufacture, and boutique retail.
Fine jewellery
High jewellery
Graff’s high-jewellery work centres on rare diamonds, coloured gemstones, elaborate settings, and one-off designs. Pieces may be built around exceptionally large or historically important stones and are intended for collectors and high-net-worth clients rather than mass retail. The Peacock Brooch, with coloured diamonds and a removable blue-diamond centrepiece, illustrates the house’s emphasis on gem scale, spectacle, and transformable construction.
Fine jewellery · 1960
Diamond jewellery
The core jewellery assortment includes diamond rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and bridal pieces. Graff’s designs generally foreground the stone’s size, cut, colour, and brilliance, supported by the company’s internal cutting and manufacturing capabilities. Its sourcing and laser-inscription practices are presented as part of the product’s provenance and traceability proposition.
Luxury watches · 2010
GraffStar
GraffStar is a watch family associated with the brand’s move into proprietary mechanical watchmaking. The GraffStar GrandDate used the company’s first proprietary movement, the Graff Calibre 1, while the GraffStar Slim was associated with Calibre 3. The line combines precious-metal watch construction with diamond setting and high-jewellery styling.
Luxury watches · 2011
ScubaGraff
ScubaGraff is a Graff diver’s watch associated with the Graff Calibre 2, introduced in 2011. It represents the brand’s effort to extend its watch offering beyond formal high-jewellery pieces while retaining precious materials, gem-setting, and a strongly distinctive house design.
High-complication watches · 2013
MasterGraff
The MasterGraff family includes technically ambitious mechanical watches such as the MasterGraff Ultra Flat Tourbillon, associated with the Graff Calibre 4 introduced in 2013. These watches combine haute horlogerie mechanisms with the house’s diamond-led luxury positioning.
High jewellery watch · 2014
Hallucination
Unveiled at Baselworld in 2014, the Hallucination is a high-jewellery watch set with 110 carats of fancy-colour diamonds and powered by a quartz movement. Its design treats the watch as a gemstone composition and serves as a showcase for Graff’s coloured-diamond expertise rather than a conventional everyday timepiece.
Controversies
2021
Graff reports cyberattack and customer data exposure
Graff said it had recently been targeted in a cyberattack and that it had notified customers whose personal data was affected; the article also reports that data and personal information were leaked. The report attributes responsibility for the attack to the Conti hacking group.
Brand decisions
2017
Acquisition and cutting of the Lesedi La RonaOtherBackground
The discovery of a very large rough diamond created an opportunity for Graff to demonstrate its sourcing, planning, cutting, and finishing capabilities.
Action taken
Graff acquired the rough Lesedi La Rona and developed it into the 302.37-carat Graff Lesedi La Rona plus 66 smaller stones.
Aftermath
The finished principal stone became one of the most prominent diamonds associated with the house.
Reported acquisition price for the rough Lesotho Promise. $12.4 million (2006 acquisition)
2010
Entry into proprietary mechanical watchmakingProduct launchBackground
Graff’s historic expertise was in diamonds and jewellery, but the company sought a more developed presence in luxury watches.
Action taken
Graff launched the Graff Calibre 1 in the GraffStar GrandDate, beginning a sequence of proprietary movements.
Aftermath
Further movements were introduced through the ScubaGraff, GraffStar Slim, and MasterGraff Ultra Flat Tourbillon.
2000
International boutique expansionStrategyBackground
Graff had historically been identified with its British base and London jewellery district locations.
Action taken
The company opened its first location outside the United Kingdom at Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris and subsequently expanded its international boutique network.
Aftermath
The move supported Graff’s development as a global luxury jeweller with boutiques and offices in multiple major luxury markets.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Graff reports cyberattack and customer data exposure[2]
Graff said it had recently been targeted in a cyberattack and that it had notified customers whose personal data was affected; the article also reports that data and personal information were leaked. The report attributes responsibility for the attack to the Conti hacking group.
Sources2 sources
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