Style Edit: How Graff and yellow diamonds forged a gem of a partnership – founder Laurence Graff began it by naming the Star of Bombay, and now a Paris exhibition charts its brilliant success

Jul 24 , 2023

British jewellers Graff and yellow diamonds are a gem of a partnership and it all started with founder Laurence Graff naming the Star of Bombay – now a Paris exhibition charts their success. Photo: Handout

In 1974, the brand re-cut a stone which founder Laurence Graff named the Star of Bombay, and other large yellow diamonds have followed such as the Graff Sunflower, Delaire Sunrise and Golden Empress

Graff just opened the ‘Sunrise: A Celebration of Graff Yellow Diamonds’ exhibition at its flagship store on Paris’ Rue Saint-Honoré – a boutique designed by Peter Marino, inspired by Claude Monet’s lily pads

Few jewellery houses are as synonymous with a gemstone as Graff and yellow diamonds. The British house was established in 1960, and after cultivating a reputation as masters of the craft, the brand made a striking foray into the world of yellow diamonds in 1974.

British jewellers Graff are especially known for their work with yellow diamonds. Photo: Handout

It was then that the Star of Bombay – a historic stone – received the renowned Graff treatment. Re-cut and polished to enhance its natural colour, the 47.39-carat square emerald-cut stone was the first to be named by the brand’s founder Laurence Graff OBE, giving rise to what has become a signature for the storied maison.

Now Graff have unveiled a new showpiece necklace centred on a 30-carat fancy intense yellow pear-shaped diamond. Photo: Handout

The 107.46-carat fancy yellow diamond Graff Sunflower, 118.08-carat fancy vivid yellow Delaire Sunrise, and 132.55-carat Golden Empress are just three more of the exceptional stones that have built upon Graff’s reputation in the delicate craft of yellow diamonds in the years that have followed.

“Yellow diamonds bring so much joy. It is an honour to be inspired by stones that radiate such beauty. The yellow diamonds we work with are exceptional in quality, cut and quantity. Very few jewellers have the luxury of such a wide range of colour,” explained Anne-Eva Geffroy, design director at Graff.

Graff multishape yellow and white diamond necklace, with a total of 273.95 carats of diamonds. Photo: Handout

On July 4 – in celebration of haute couture week – Graff opened the striking “Sunrise: A Celebration of Graff Yellow Diamonds” exhibition, showcasing the maison’s heritage and carefully cultivated reputation in rare yellow diamond artistry through the decades. Graff’s flagship store on Rue Saint-Honoré was the venue, a boutique designed by Peter Marino and itself a work of art, said to have been inspired by Claude Monet’s lily pads.

Francois Graff, CEO of the British jewellers, called the exhibition “the most significant collection of yellow diamonds that has ever been brought together in one place”.

Graff cushion-cut yellow diamond ring. Photo: Handout

The exhibition comprised a range of high jewellery necklaces, earrings, rings and jewels based on tribal inspirations, all of which speak to Graff’s distinct stone-led identity.