Graffiti

TH E GRA FF M AG A ZI N E / WI N TE R 2 017

THE POWER OF COLOUR / THE WORLD’S LARGEST ROUGH DIAMOND / GLORIOUS GEMS FOR A NIGHT OF GLAMOUR

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D O W N E Y.C O. U K

Welcome to Graffiti

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here is something enduringly fascinating about the idea of buried treasure. But at Graff this isn’t just the stuff of legend. Buried treasure is key to what we do here – in the form of the Earth’s extraordinary gemstones, waiting countless millennia to be discovered, which we then polish and cut and set, enhancing their natural beauty.

As the largest rough diamond in existence, the Lesedi La Rona is a truly exceptional example of a buried treasure – indeed, it could be called the find of a lifetime. But as jewellery expert Vivienne Becker explains (p6), the wonder of this extremely rare 1,109 carat diamond isn’t just its size, but also its quality, which is of the very highest. At Graff, we have acquired and polished many of the world’s most important gemstones. But it’s hard to convey my sense of wonder when I look at a rough diamond such as this – and contemplate the possibilities within it.

In this issue of Graffiti, we also celebrate the singular appeal of coloured gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, sapphires and, of course, coloured diamonds. We invite you to take a close-up look at some of our finest, most exquisite examples, alongside

Chocolat author Joanne Harris’s hymn in praise of colour – and explore how the mystical red of a ruby or the deep green of an emerald can stir our emotions.

Treasure, though, comes in many forms. Some find the work of artist George Condo challenging; I find it compelling, and have several of his paintings. Here he talks to art journalist George Pendle about working with Warhol and learning from the study of Old Masters, but charting his own course (p16).

We a l s o l o o k a t Fe r r a r i – w h i c h c e l e b r a t e d i t s 7 0 t h anniversar y this year – and the 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico, a real gem from my collection of cars by this wonderful marque (p46). It’s not a buried treasure, perhaps, but most certainly an example of the kind of excellence many of us seek in the objects we acquire. And we look at the work of the Graff Mobile Learning Centres sponsored by FACET, which bring educational opportunities to bright young people in South Africa’s Cape Winelands (p74). Human potential, after all, can also be buried – and is waiting to be unlocked.

We are proud that FACET is part of this quest.

LAURENCE GRAFF OBE CHAIRMAN

Top: Laurence Graff OBE, Chairman 1

CONTENTS

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Sapphire and diamond Abstract earrings

(Sapphires 21.18cts, Diamonds 18.10cts). 11.41 carat oval sapphire and diamond ring (Diamonds 7.78cts). 31.55 carat octagonal cut sapphire and diamond ring

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Vivienne Becker salutes the Lesedi La Rona rough diamond, the latest addition to Graff’s portfolio of extraordinary gemstones

MAKING OF A MASTERPIECE

How George Condo conquered the art world with a strange cast of characters

At Graff’s global cutting and polishing facilities, rough diamonds are cut, polished and lasered to perfection

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THE ART OF C O LO U R

THE FINISHING TO U C H

Author Joanne Harris on the deep emotional impact of coloured gems

Scintillating and sculptural, the brooch has never been more in vogue

(Diamonds 9.54cts)

G R A E M E M O N TG O M E RY

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LA GRANDE SOIREE Ramping up the glamour with exquisite jewellery to captivate and delight

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B R I L L I A N C E I N B LO O M

An abundant bouquet of jewels that echoes the beauty of nature 22

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IN PRAISE OF THE BIZARRE

N AT U R A L B E A U T Y

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C O C K TA I L H O U R As delicate as it is decadent, Graff’s Snowfall is the ultimate cocktail watch

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A GEM OF A C O L L ECT I O N Tracing the Graffs’ passion for Ferraris, including the sublime 400 Superamerica

CONTENTS

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PEAK CONDITION On the slopes in the Alps’ chicest ski resorts, Courchevel and Gstaad

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EASTERN PROMISE

SOCIAL DIARY

Three superb new GyroGraff timepieces celebrating Asia’s most iconic cityscapes

Soirées, salon openings and collection showcases from around the world

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AND THE REST I S H I S T O R Y. . .

As Graff opens a new store in Singapore, Laurence Graff recalls his first trip to the city ADAM WHITEHEAD

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M O U N TA I N H I G H The near-magical elements that create Delaire Graff Estate’s Sunburst wine

STO R E G U I D E The location of every Graff salon, right across the globe

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FINAL CUT Celebrating the elegance of Graff’s Eternal Twins diamond earrings

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DA R I N G TO D R E A M Diamond Abstract Butterfly earrings (15.60cts). Diamond Bombé ring (16.77cts)

The charitable project enriching the lives of young people in South Africa 33

PICASSO AND MAYA Father and Daughter

Gagosian Paris 4

Photo: Edward Quinn © edwardquinn.com. Picasso’s likeness © 2017 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Curated by Diana Widmaier Picasso

CONTRIBUTORS

G RA E M E M O N TG O M E RY Graeme Montgomery is a leading luxury fashion and jewellery photographer. His work has appeared in publications such as Vogue Japan, Vogue China and The Sunday Times Style.

JOANNE HARRIS Joanne Harris is the internationally acclaimed author of 16 novels (including the award-winning Chocolat), three cookbooks and two collections of short stories. Her new novel is A Pocketful of Crows.

CHARMAINE GOLA Charmaine Gola is the Fundraising and PR Manager at Pebbles Project, the charity supported by Graff’s FACET foundation. She is a former columnist for Times of Swaziland.

J O N AT H A N K N O W L E S Jonathan Knowles has been featured for the past 16 years in the biennial book 200 Best Advertising Photographers in the World. He is a regular contributor to Luxure and FT Weekend.

RACHEL GARRAHAN Rachel Garrahan writes about jewellery and watches, fashion, luxury and lifestyle for The New York Times, Financial Times, Town & Country, Vanity Fair and Condé Nast Traveller.

JA S O N B A R LOW Jason Barlow is Editor-at-Large for BBC Top Gear, a contributing editor for GQ and Editor of The Official Ferrari Magazine – making him the ideal person to discuss the marque’s enduring allure.

B R AV E N E W WO R L D 6 Derby Street, London W1J 7AD, +44 (0) 20 3819 7520 Creative director CRISPIN JAMESON

Art director VA N E S S A A R N A U D

Chief copy editor DA M O N SYS O N

Editor JAMES COLLARD

Designers JILL BARNARD J A S P E R VA N D E N B O S C H

Copy editors MEL BRADMAN GILL WING

Project manager N A N CY D O S T E R

Photographic director LY N D S E Y P R I C E

Style editor R O S I E B OY D E L L

Picture editor LO U I S A B R YA N T

Editorial director GILL MORGAN Head of art JULIE RUBIO

Cover: Multishape diamond earrings (65.28 carats ). 23.73 carat D Flawless oval diamond ring.

FOR GRAFF Katherine Roach, Charlie Boyd, Mathilde Peslier, Laura Morris, Tim Holloway, Dan Herendi, Sophie Gordon, Jennifer Hoque, Guy Chambers, Alexandra Dubois, Elisa Dryden, Georgia Cooper, Nathalie Rimensberger, Heather Wong Advertising – Laura Morris (graffiti@ graffdiamonds.com)

© 2017 Brave New World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain.

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Natural BEAUTY THE LESEDI LA RONA I S TH E M O S T VA L UA B L E RO UG H DI A MON D I N T H E WO R L D – AND GRAFF’S ACQUISITION OF IT M A R K S A P I V O TA L MOM E N T I N D I A M O N D H I S T O RY

WORDS VIVIENNE BECKER

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he House of Graff has added an unparalleled natural treasure to its illustrious roll call of historic and magnificent diamonds. After a year of negotiations, in a deal sealed with a handshake, Laurence Graff succeeded in acquiring the staggeringly rare Lesedi La Rona – a monumental rough diamond which at 1,109 carats is the largest and most valuable rough diamond in the world.

“This is a momentous day in my career,” Laurence Graff explains, adding that he feels “privileged to be given the opportunity to honour the magnificent natural beauty of the Lesedi La Rona”. For this colossal crystal is not only remarkable for its size; it is also of supreme and exceptional quality.

Even in its raw state, the inner light and astonishing purity of the crystal, estimated to be 2.5-3 billion years old, shine through. Initial assessments have suggested that the rough stone has the potential to be D colour (the top colour grading) and the rare classification of Type IIa. This indicates that it is the purest chemically of all diamonds, with an exceptional translucency and that alluring limpidity that characterises many of the most beautiful and famous diamonds in history. The confluence of these exceptional, near-miraculous qualities with its spectacular size means that the Lesedi La Rona is one of the most important natural discoveries of modern times, hailed by experts as the find of a lifetime.

Appropriately, the name Lesedi La Rona means “Our Light” in the Tswana language of Botswana, where the stone was uncovered late in 2015 in the Lucara Karowe mine, some 300 miles north of Gaborone. Its discovery draws parallels with the momentous find, over 100 years ago, in 1905 of the famous 3,106.75 carat rough crystal, in the Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The Cullinan Diamond – the only rough diamond of gem quality larger than the Lesedi La Rona ever discovered – was presented to King Edward VII in 1907 and subsequently yielded nine polished diamonds of superb quality. The largest, the Great Star of Africa, is set into the Royal Sceptre of Elizabeth II and is at present the largest D colour diamond in existence.

Equally majestic, the Lesedi La Rona was clearly destined to find its way into the hands of the reigning King of Diamonds, Laurence Graff. Earlier this year, he had acquired the superb 373 carat rough diamond that was originally part of the Lesedi La Rona, and he drew on his adamantine determination

Right: One of the most important natural discoveries of modern times, the hypnotic 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona is the largest gem quality rough diamond found in over 100 years 6

and unwavering conviction to ensure that these two extraordinary stones were reunited, once again making diamond history for the House of Graff.

The Lesedi La Rona follows in a long line of record-breaking stones acquired by Graff, which has cut and polished the majority of the largest diamonds to be discovered this century. With his legendary affinity with diamonds, and his ability to look into the heart of a stone, Laurence Graff feels sure that his latest acquisition will slowly reveal its story to him, and dictate how it wants to be cut. At the same time, he explains, he and his team of worldleading artisans will take the greatest care to respect the extraordinary properties of this diamond in the rough, adding that Graff is “thrilled and honoured to become the new custodians of this incredible diamond. Our highly skilled team of master craftsmen will draw on many years of experience of crafting the most important diamonds – working night and day to ensure that we do justice to this remarkable gift from Mother Nature.” It is another monumental step forward in his indomitable quest to own and fashion the most magnificent diamonds on earth – and quite simply, to be the best.

This rough diamond is one of the most important natural discoveries of modern times, hailed by experts as the find of a lifetime 77

THE ART OF COLOUR Different shades influence us in surprising ways, stimulating our senses, evoking meaning and – as Graff’s unique collection of coloured gemstones demonstrates – inspiring a range of emotions. Chocolat author Joanne Harris unlocks the emotional language of colour

P H OTO G R A P H Y J O N AT H A N K N O W L E S 8

mong the many ways in which human beings perceive the world, colour is perhaps the most mysterious. Much of what we see is defined by combinations of colour and light, and, depending on the kind of light, colours appear brighter or more muted. So colours exist in a perpetual state of change, depending on the seasons, the weather, the environment. That’s why the vibrant-pink sari you bought in India doesn’t look quite the same in muted, misty London – and your heather-mix tweed looked better in the Highlands.

Colours are like the pretty stones we pick up on the beach: best in their natural setting, gleaming with sun and salt water. And yet, we keep trying to capture their vivid beauty in art, glass, textiles, clothes – and of course, in jewellery.

Our enduring fascination with colour spans all cultures, all centuries. It lies at the heart of the earliest cave-paintings, made with pigments ground from crushed stones, clay and plant dyes. Devotional art relies on it too: the coloured illuminations of medieval Bibles; the intricate mosaics of mosques; the vivid stained-glass windows of churches and cathedrals.

But the language of colour is amazingly diverse; its meanings vary in all kinds of surprising ways. Take the rainbow, for instance. Western culture recognises seven separate categories within the spectrum, but we know from their texts that ancient Norse people saw only three. Some cultures have no separate word for green or blue, while in Old Norse, the word blár described both blue and black. The Welsh word glas is usually translated as blue; however, it can also refer to the colour of the sea, of grass, or of silver. Colours are not universal, it seems. We all interpret them in different ways.

Some people experience colour in unusual, highly individual ways. The most common forms of synesthesia – that strange cross-wiring of the brain that overlaps two otherwise unrelated sensory stimuli – link colours with sounds, with words, with moods. Many artists and writers have this rather mysterious condition, which allows for an interesting use of words and imagery. Nabokov experienced words as colours, Chagall experienced colours as music, and Rimbaud’s poem, Voyelles, links vowel sounds to colours. Thus, to Rimbaud, A is black, E white, I red, O blue and U green.

I experience colours as scent, with such intensity that it’s often impossible to tell where reality ends and synesthesia begins. For me, bright red smells of chocolate; blue of varying combinations of citrus, oil and petrol; light greens and yellows trigger floral scents; purples and pinks trigger bergamot, incense, vanilla. Colour affects our moods, and gives a context to our feelings. We all know what it’s like to see red, to feel blue, to be in the pink. A red rose means love. A blue moon is rare and magical. A green light means progress, safety, freedom.

The same goes for the language of gems: the polished, brightly coloured stones used throughout the ages to decorate the objects – and, of course, the people – we hold most precious.

The colours of gemstones are exquisitely varied: they shine with their own inner light. And unlike those stones on the sea shore, which lose their gloss when carried elsewhere, gems are designed to carry that light, to trigger their hidden messages of hope or passion wherever they go. Thus, their vibrant colours are as much about how they make us feel as how they make us look, and they reflect our moods and our dreams in a language that is as secret and personal as that of the heart.

Colour affects our moods and gives a context to our feelings. We all know what it’s like to see red, to feel blue...

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SUNBURST SPLENDOUR Yellow is carefree – the colour of confidence. It is the brightest colour the human eye can see. It speaks of youthful optimism. Among the six Greek words for love, yellow represents “philautia”, the love of the self. What better gift to make to oneself than that of a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond, radiating the brilliant light of the sun?

This 10.49 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow oval diamond is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – it demonstrates a unique, blazing radiance – making it one of the world’s very finest yellow diamonds. The exceptionally rare Fancy Vivid Yellow shade is optimised by its exquisite oval cut; expertly contrasted with striking white diamonds.

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AZURE’S EMBRACE Vivid blue, like this diamond, is the blue of tropical seas, summer skies and distant horizons. In the language of the Ancient Greeks, it represents “agape” – selfless, tender and forgiving, it is the love of all mankind. Wearing this shade is said to encourage healing and creativity, empathy and sensitivity.

An extraordinarily unique phenomenon; this 4.96 carat Fancy Vivid Blue Internally Flawless marquise diamond is one of the rarest blue diamonds in the world.

Its exquisitely crisp, ice-cool shade of blue is intensified by its sleek marquise cut, which draws the eye into its profound depth of colour, and is complemented by magnificent pear shape white diamonds.

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ROSE ROMANCE Pink is an innocent hue. It conjures the tender dreaminess of romance without the anguish of desire.

If red is Eros, the passionate lover, then pink is its sweeter sibling, Ludus, the playmate. Its colour reflects that of the dawn – nostalgic yet hopeful. A Fancy Vivid Pink diamond confers a feeling of well-being, happiness and security.

The spirited, saccharine shade of this 12.02 carat Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless pear shape diamond is one of the world’s most exceptional pink diamonds.

Embraced by heart shape white diamonds, the perfectly proportioned pear shape allows light to flood into the stone and powerfully radiate like no other pink diamond on earth.

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SCARLET PASSION Ruby red is the embodiment of wild, all-consuming, sometimes even dangerous love. Its power is elemental, representing fire.

In China, it is the colour that signifies good luck and good fortune. Red gemstones are believed to boost energy, confer confidence and offer protection from self-doubt and anxiety.

The Graff Ruby, an 8.62 carat cushion cut ruby of Burmese origin, is the most famous ruby in the world – globally celebrated for its redder than red Pigeon’s Blood shade, the incredible purity of its crystal, as well as its captivating clarity and steadfast spread of colour. Its diamond setting, featuring trilliant cut, baguette and round diamonds, is suitably intricate, designed to complement a stone of this enormous rarity.

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VERDANT BEAUTY Emerald green is silent and strong – the colour of the deep forest. To the Ancient Greeks, it meant “pragma”, or the enduring love that has weathered many storms, but stands as firm as it ever did.

Green is the colour of life, growth, rebirth. It represents equilibrium.

An emerald elicits feelings of peace and harmony.

The heart-stopping colour of this 4.22 carat lozenge cut stone is the very best example of an Old Mine Colombian emerald, universally considered to be the most magnificent incarnations of emeralds as they display a profoundly saturated, opulent shade of green. The extremely rare and unique lozenge cut is accompanied by eight heart shape white diamonds, hypnotically encircling the emerald with a halo of pure scintillation.

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HIDDEN DEPTHS Sapphire blue is reflective, the embodiment of deep waters, enduring passions – perhaps this is why sapphires appear in so many engagement rings. It represents the love the Greeks called “philia” – a deep and spiritual alliance.

Stones of this colour are said to confer a sense of serenity and clarity.

An epic example of the finest possible sapphire, this 32.22 carat cushion cut Burmese sapphire is lauded as Graff’s most outstanding sapphire because of its unfathomable, rich shade of blue. The impeccable cushion cut allows the wearer to peer into the apparently limitless depths of the stone, while the heart shape diamond setting provides a fanfare of pure white radiance that hypnotically guides the eye to the centre stone.

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WORDS GEORGE PENDLE

IN PRAISE OF THE BIZARRE

P A R T O F T H E M E T R O P O L I TA N M U S E U M O F A R T C O L L E C T I O N . T H I S P A G E : G E T T Y I M A G E S

O P P O S I T E : © G E O R G E C O N D O 2 0 1 7, C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A R T I S T A N D S K A R S T E D T, N E W Y O R K ,

A L E A D I N G F I G U R E I N T H E A RT WO R L D F O R T H R E E D E C A D E S , G E O R G E C O N D O T WI S T S T H E S T Y L E S O F P I C A S S O, G O YA A N D B A C O N I N T O H I S O W N D A R K A N D B E A U T I F U L V I S I O N S . T O D A Y H I S WO R K S T I L L I N S P I R E S B O T H FA S C I N AT I O N A N D R E V U L S I O N

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n HG Wells’ classic horror tale, The Island of Doctor Moreau, the narrator of the story finds himself marooned on an island of strange, bestial beings. These creatures are the result of the exiled Moreau’s diabolical vivisection experiments; their legs are unnaturally twisted, their faces are chinless and their mouths drip with saliva.

The narrator describes his “spasm of disgust” as he looks at these warped, almost mocking, facsimiles of humankind, but even so, he cannot stop himself from staring at this madness made flesh.

Standing in front of one of George Condo’s canvases, such as Imaginary Green Portrait (1997) – in the private collection of Laurence Graff – can give the viewer a similar feeling: equal parts revulsion and fascination. Yet Condo is far from an outcast, crafting his creatures on an isolated Pacific island. Instead, he is a major player in the midst of the New York art world, and has been since the early 1980s.

Condo was born in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1957. He studied art history and music theory at the University of Massachusetts – he is a dab hand at the lute – before announcing himself to the downtown New York scene as a member of the Boston artpunk band Girls. At his first gig in the city in 1979 he met Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose own band was supporting Condo’s. The pair bonded quickly over electronic music and art, and soon became friends.

With Basquiat’s encouragement, Condo moved to the city to pursue a career as an artist.

Condo submerged himself in the music and art scenes, quickly picking up a temp job at Andy

Warhol’s Factory, making silk-screen prints for his shock-haired boss. His time working for Warhol was in the Renaissance tradition of young artists being apprenticed to experienced painters. In particular, he worked on Warhol’s Myth series – a collection of portraits of Dracula, Mickey Mouse and the TV puppet Howdy Doody. For Warhol, this was a camp updating of the classical order – somewhat funny, somewhat nausea-inducing – but it is hard not to see this alternative pantheon as an influence on Condo’s subsequent deranged work.

Nevertheless, Condo’s style in his early twenties was unlike Warhol’s in almost every respect, except for this fascination with the mythic grotesque. Condo was a painter at a time when, partly thanks to Warhol, painting was seen as a dead art swept into irrelevance by performance, conceptual and video art. And Condo didn’t just paint – he painted like an Old Master, creating indistinct backgrounds the better to secure the prominence of his central subject, and placing his works in ornate wooden frames.

Despite this, he never lacked for self-confidence.

The art world was a turbulent place, constantly seeking fresh ideas, and Condo was determined to make his mark quickly. “It seemed like you had to be a famous artist by the time you were 24 or you were finished,” he said. While the fashionable injunction against painting was starting to waver with the rise of a new generation, these painters were using new materials (Julian Schnabel painted on broken plates) or new styles (Basquiat brought street graffiti on to the canvas). Condo’s decision to evoke Renaissance

Above: George Condo (left) and Laurence Graff at a private view of Condo’s paintings and sculptures in Mayfair, 2007. Opposite: Condo’s Rush Hour, 2010, Acrylic, charcoal and pastel on linen

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Clockwise from top left: Imaginary Green Portrait, 1997, Oil on canvas – in the private collection of Laurence Graff; Condo in his studio, 2006; Big Red, 1997, Oil on canvas; Condo at the opening of his 2014 show in London

and Baroque painting was retrograde enough in comparison to seem radical.

Yet although he used the techniques of the past, his subjects were peculiarly modern. He took from graffiti artists the idea of the tag – leaving your name or mark on a wall – and transferred it to his canvases, in which the letters C-O-N-D-O would be painted on a classical landscape. And his name is not quickly scrawled, but rather depicted with all the lavishness afforded to the portrait of a Venetian duchess.

Some of Condo’s early work harked back to the Surrealists, as disembodied ears appeared wrapped in string or geometric forms teetered against gravity.

Yet, in other works, you were just as likely to see a riff on the work of the Abstract Expressionists or the vivid, kinetic figures of his sometime studio-mate, Keith Haring, or – in a painting such as Dancing with Miles (1985), depicting a giant explosion of body parts – both at the same time. It was his ability to appropriate the techniques of such disparate artists as Magritte, Goya, Bacon, Velázquez, Picasso and Disney that set him apart from the crowd. He was the Incredible Absorbing Man, able to take the skills of innumerable past masters and subsume them into something ineffably Condo.

“I’d say the influences have always been inherent in my work and have forced out a kind of originality that makes it easily distinguishable from those artists whose work I admire,” Condo says of those who have inspired him. “To carve one’s own identity in the history of art, it must be that all those forces add up to something new.” Indeed, in his art, painting is the very opposite of dead: it is being resurrected in front of you in every canvas.

Condo’s paintings were already garnering interest in Europe, and, in 1984, he made his New York debut with two simultaneous shows at the Pat Hearn and Barbara Gladstone galleries, which was a remarkable coup for a young artist. It was greeted with applause: “A breathtaking concoction,” reported Art in America.

Condo had made it – albeit at the ripe old age of 27.

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“It seemed like you had to be a famous artist by the time you were 24 or you were finished”

S K A R S T E D T, N E W Y O R K . T O P R I G H T : T R U N K A R C H I V E . B O T T O M L E F T : R E X F E AT U R E S

T O P L E F T A N D B O T T O M R I G H T : © G E O R G E C O N D O 2 0 1 7, C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A R T I S T A N D

In 1987, he was included in the Whitney Biennial.

Success led to success, but it was in the mid-1990s that Condo began the series of portraits for which he is perhaps best known. This was a menagerie of weird, disfigured characters with gnashing teeth, crazed eyes and animalistic features, painted in a meticulous fashion against the blue skies or shadowy interiors of Renaissance and Baroque portraiture. Condo called these creatures his “antipodals”, or “pods” for short – a phrase taken from Aldous Huxley’s 1956 essay, Heaven and Hell, in which Huxley speaks of the visions man can access at the “antipodes” of his mind.

“You do not invent these creatures,” wrote Huxley.

“They live their own lives in complete independence.

A man cannot control them.”

A deluge of subhuman figures began to appear. It was as if the tiny, surreal demons who gambol in the margins of Hieronymus Bosch’s works were being given their day in the sun. Or as if we were being shown what Porky Pig or Bugs Bunny might look like in real life – less like humorous cartoons than malformed jesters. Each of Condo’s pod paintings held within it a warring tension between the comic and the tragic, the beautiful and the horrible.

In Figures on Blue Couch (1996), which is also in the private collection of Laurence Graff, Condo appropriates the figures of a Picasso painting, but places atop their bodies faces of imbecilic splendour.

These are bestial faces, but not frighteningly so – they are more rodent than wolf. The result is disconcerting, yet also funny. It is as if all of art history has been infected by Condo’s own psychic desires.

His art is unique in many aspects, not least because he is a portrait artist who rarely paints people who exist. Sometimes the same antipodular creatures – a butler, a monster called “Big Red” and a sinister criminal known only as Rodrigo – appear again and again, as if they were invading voices trying to take control of the artist’s palette. When Condo had a major retrospective at the New Museum in New York in 2011, his portraits were hung salon-style, jumbled together, floor-to-ceiling, so the museum took on the air of some ancestral home of lunatics.

Hundreds of these characters have come into existence over the years, prised out from Condo’s cranial cavity like mussels from their shells.

“My techniques have involved so many different approaches to painting and all of them are designed to speed up the process,” he explains. “So the second an image arrives in my head, I’m prepared to get it out on to the canvas instantaneously without revision.”

Occasionally, real-life events do intrude upon his universe, as in The Last Days of Enron (2004). “When political situations arise such as those rampaging through the headlines and on every TV news channel, 19 19

20 T H I S P A G E A N D O P P O S I T E : © G E O R G E C O N D O 2 0 1 7, C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A R T I S T A N D S K A R S T E D T, N E W Y O R K

“I see recurring figures whose characters become almost Shakespearian and demand some kind of release on canvas”

my personal life is affected,” says Condo. “I begin to see a pattern of recurring figures whose characters become almost Shakespearian and demand some kind of release on to the canvas. When the decadence of Enron and the bacchanalian excesses of [former Tyco CEO] Dennis Kozlowski’s notorious $2 million toga party hit the mainstream media, it was unavoidable subject matter for paintings that reflected the doom and gloom of our society and our economy.” In 2012, one of his most caustic, The Manhattan Strip Club, depicting suited pods groping classically drawn nudes, sold for a then record $1.3m.

Recently, Condo has been inspired by reality once again. His recent drawing, The Trial (2017), is Condo’s take on former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. “Now we have a whole new cast of characters who are equally if not more insane. The Trial was a reaction to Flynn and his [anti-Hillary Clinton] ‘lock her up’ campaign and his shouting like a madman from the podium.” It is a galling thought that sometimes the madness outside Condo’s head out-trumps that within.

Occasionally, he escapes himself in collaborations that have ranged from opera through high fashion to skateboard design and the artwork for Kanye West’s 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. “It’s a one-man act, making paintings, and sometimes collaborating with other artists from different genres can be very exciting. There’s always an open door in my mind if the project feels right. I’d love to do sets for a ballet or create an environment for a symphony.”

At the moment, however, his work is undergoing a sea change, leaving the thickly painted pod portraits for something more spontaneous still: “In the past, I worked on many sketches and preparatory drawings before making final moves. In the paintings now, all that’s right there on the canvas.”

He has been saying goodbye to Rodrigo and Big Red and all his fully formed antipodes. “Now I’m focused on destroying them, obliterating their essence, so they automatically morph into new hyperfigures that carry the same subconscious recognitions for the viewer but seem to be more abstracted in their nature.” Condo’s characters are dissolving back into the dark primordial corners of his brain, replaced by an amorphous menagerie that is still difficult to look at, but impossible to look away from.

Left: Toy Head, 2012, Oil on canvas.

Opposite: The Insane Cardinal, 2003, Oil on canvas. Both in the private collection of Laurence Graff

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The finishing touch S C U L P T U R A L A N D E Y E - C AT C H I N G , B R O O C H E S A R E P E R F E C T F O R S H O WC A S I N G G R A F F ’ S A RT I S T RY – A N D T H E V E RY F I N E S T G E M S T O N E S

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he brooch is having a moment. That might sound slightly absurd, for the brooch itself is ancient – believed to be among the world’s very first jewellery forms. But right now the brooch is surely the height of fashion – having shed any suggestion that “ancient” might also mean “old-fashioned”, and claiming its rightful place on the high jewellery throne. Witness the shows in New York, Paris, London and Milan this September – in which many leading fashion houses sent models down the runway conspicuously sporting brooches. These bejewelled pins demonstrated that there is nothing more spectacular than a brooch for capturing the viewer’s attention – and for making an unparalleled statement of style and grace.

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P H OTO G R A P H Y S O P H I E G O R D O N

WORDS RACHEL GARRAHAN

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Left, from top: Graff’s famous floral brooch featuring the entire first tender of pink diamonds from the Argyle mine; a spectacular dragonfly brooch featuring over 76 carats of yellow and white diamonds

Previous pages: A magnificent diamond brooch featuring an 8.97 carat Fancy Vivid Pinkish Orange pear shape diamond, a 4.69 carat Fancy Grey Blue pear shape diamond, a 5.80 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow emerald cut diamond, a 3.08 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow pear shape diamond and 75 carats of white diamonds

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For true mastery of the brooch however, look no further than Graff, where the brooch has been an important and signature piece throughout the history of the House – often using significant gemstones. As Laurence Graff says, “A brooch offers a particularly powerful way to display gemstones. They are stand-alone pieces, and highly sculptural, so they have a powerful visual impact.”

In ancient times the brooch’s role was purely practical. The very earliest brooches date back to the Stone Age when, crafted from whichever materials were readily available, such as bone or flint, simple pins were used to secure pieces of clothing. In later years, a Roman aristocrat might prepare to cross the colder climes of the Empire’s vast expanse by fastening his cloak with a bronze or gold fibula, a kind of ancient safety pin. Since the Byzantine era, however, the brooch has been appreciated more for its ornamental potential, and so confections of gold and coloured gemstones have

been magnificent signifiers of the wearer’s wealth and status – their beauty living on in portraits of celebrated figures such as Mary, Queen of Scots and England’s Elizabeth I. Today, the brooch is, of course, synonymous with the monarch currently occupying Elizabeth I’s throne, her namesake, HM Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s personal collection is brimming with brooches, which provide the customary finishing touch for many a royal ensemble – featuring on countless jacket lapels and dress shoulders throughout the Queen’s reign, or else put to work to hold a ceremonial sash in place on state occasions.

But for Rachel Lambert Mellon, better known as “Bunny” – a noted philanthropist and one of 20th-century America’s most legendary heiresses – brooches were such a source of pleasure that when she was not wearing one, she would place it on a table for herself and her house guests to enjoy as a 3D work of art. Indeed, the brooch’s sculptural potential is one of its greatest strengths. For the jewellery designers at the House of Graff, it offers unparalleled freedom from practical constraints. The design could be led by the dimensions of one extraordinary gemstone, or designed purely to the service of several glittering gems of contrasting colour, cut and size. Or it might be inspired by nature, in which case mere symmetry gives way to the innate beauty and balance of natural forms.

One such creation has just arrived fresh from the bench of Graff’s Mayfair workshop. Showcasing the House’s figurative prowess, it consists of four flowers that each centre on a superlative coloured diamond. This magnificent diamond brooch features an 8.97 carat Fancy Vivid Pinkish Orange pear shape diamond, a 4.69 carat Fancy Grey Blue pear shape diamond, a 5.80 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow emerald cut diamond, a 3.08 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow pear shape diamond and 75 carats of white diamonds. This is nature’s floral perfection realised in an equally perfectly balanced ensemble of rare and beautiful gems from deep beneath the Earth’s surface.

First conceived by Graff’s talented designers in their light-filled London studio above the workshops, the finishing touch that truly brings these flowers to life is their en tremblant setting by the House’s master craftsmen. This complex technique, which dates back to the 18th century, when gemstones relied purely on candlelight to reflect their fire, sets the gems on tiny, invisible springs that allow them to move delicately with the body and thus captivate the onlooker.

By capturing both feminine grace and the awe-inspiring delicacy of the flower, this piece also recalls one of Graff’s most famous brooch creations. Following his successful purchase of the entire first yield of Argyle Pink diamonds from the famed Australian mine in the 1980s, Laurence Graff demonstrated his audaciousness by using every single stone in just one jewel, an exquisite flower.

Within just one hour of this jewelled work of art being completed, Mr Graff presented it to the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world’s leading coloured stone collectors. He was so enthralled by the creation that he bought it on the spot.

Flowers are not the only natural wonder to receive the Graff treatment. Animals, too, are perfectly suited to the brooch’s open form and size. And, together with Graff’s unique access to the world’s most exquisite gemstones, its designers’ imaginations brim over in their interpretations of the world’s most charming creatures.

Their depiction of a butterfly in mid-flight captures a sense of romance and movement in equal measure, the winged creature’s infinite variety of pattern and colour providing the designers with constant inspiration.

Birds also fuel Graff’s unlimited creativity. Love birds which, in France, are known charmingly as les inséparables, nuzzle each other affectionately in one brooch, their harmonious natures and fleeting gestures captured immutably in gemstones thanks to the skill of the House’s craftsmen. In another, a touching scene is portrayed between mother and child. On a delicate branch hung with blossom, a bird of delicate white diamonds offers its baby a precious four carat, pear shape diamond as sustenance.

For the jeweller and collector then, the brooch represents the ultimate in creative freedom. For the lucky wearer, it promises endless versatility as well as an unparalleled opportunity for making a statement. Wear on the lapel, or to cinch the waist, or even to

P H OTO G R A P H Y S O P H I E G O R D O N

Right: Diamond bird brooch featuring over 46 carats of scintillating diamonds, with sapphire and onyx accents

Below, from left: the iconic Hair and Jewel Coiffure image created by Laurence Graff in 1970; a gouache of the Graff diamond brooch pictured on previous pages; a gouache of the Graff Bow Brooch

accentuate a deep V-backed gown. Or in your hair, recalling Graff’s ground-breaking 1970 “Hair and Jewels” campaign (reprised in 2013). For taking inspiration from the extravagant modes of 18th-century Versailles, Laurence Graff captured the world’s attention by placing a glittering array of diamond brooches and other jewels, valued then at $1m, in a model’s extravagant coiffure.

There is an irony, perhaps, in the fashion world’s sudden, passionate embrace of the brooch. It was because of the industry’s decades-long trend towards soft, unstructured clothes that for some women the brooch was for a while relegated to the back of the jewellery box, apart from on very formal occasions. But fashion is changing and now more than ever is surely the brooch’s time to shine. With its explosive mix of creativity and idiosyncratic elegance, romance and power, this jewel is the finishing touch every woman needs, nay deserves.

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ST YLING MIRANDA ALMOND

P H OTO G RA P H Y CA M I L L A Ã… K RA N S

LA GRANDE SOIREE

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Previous pages: Diamond earrings (16.34cts). Diamond necklace (91.67cts).

Diamond bracelet (60.90cts). 38.13 carat D Flawless pear shape diamond ring. Dress by Elie Saab These pages, left: Diamond Gypsy earrings (29.97cts). Right: Diamond Carissa earrings (44.29cts). Yellow and white diamond Carissa necklace featuring a 13.51 carat Fancy Intense Yellow radiant cut diamond (60.92cts). 20.01 carat Fancy Yellow pear shape diamond ring (right hand). 31.21 carat Fancy Intense Yellow oval diamond ring (41.05cts) (left hand). Dress by Blumarine

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Previous pages, left: Emerald and diamond earrings (Emeralds 22.26cts, Diamonds 12.89cts). Emerald and diamond necklace (Emeralds 46.45cts, Diamonds 63.60cts). 6.91 carat emerald cut emerald and diamond bracelet (Diamonds 32.94cts). 14.29 carat emerald cut Old Mine Colombian emerald and diamond ring. Dress by Halston Heritage at Harvey Nichols Previous pages, right: Ruby and diamond earrings (Rubies 17.52cts, Diamonds 4.82cts). Ruby and diamond necklace (Rubies 62.51cts, Diamonds 40.29cts).

18.33 carat D Flawless round diamond ring. Dress by Charlie Brear This page: Diamond Bow earrings (27.03cts). Diamond Bow brooch featuring 18.18 carat and 18.15 carat D Flawless pear shape diamond drops (40.41cts).

Dress by Galvan

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Previous pages, left: Sapphire and diamond Abstract earrings

(Sapphires 10.03cts, Diamonds 7.98cts). Sapphire and diamond necklace (Sapphires 38.83cts, Diamonds 61.76cts). Sapphire and diamond bracelet (Sapphires 24.37cts, Diamonds 5.36cts). 16.57 carat emerald cut Sri Lankan sapphire and diamond ring (right hand). 44.02 carat cushion cut Sri Lankan sapphire and diamond ring (Diamonds 10.75cts) (left hand). Dress by Galvan Previous pages, right: Pink and blue sapphire and diamond earrings (Sapphires 33.65cts, Diamonds 6.58cts). Pink and blue sapphire and diamond necklace (Sapphires 92.28cts, Diamonds 10.83cts). Pink and blue sapphire and diamond bracelet (Sapphires 48.96cts, Diamonds 6.71cts). 10.16 carat cushion cut Burmese sapphire and diamond ring. Dress by Ralph & Russo Opposite: Baguette cut diamond earrings (29.77cts). Emerald cut diamond bracelet (44.02cts). 20.88 carat D Flawless emerald cut diamond ring.

Dress by Zuhair Murad

Make-up artist: Nikki Wolff. Hair stylist: Patrick Wilson. Model: Georgia Fowler at IMG models

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MAKING OF A MASTERPIECE WORDS CHARLIE BOYD

P H OTO G RA P H Y D O N A L D WO O D R OW

Cutting and polishing the world’s most beautiful diamonds requires a unique and astonishing marriage between artisanal flair and visionary technology. Taking a rough and deceptively unassuming stone and transforming it into a vessel of light, giving life to its inner splendour and brilliance, is a complex evolution – reverently mastered by expert craftsmen. We follow the metamorphosis of three rough diamonds as they are transformed into exquisitely cut and perfectly polished stones, destined for Graff’s exceptional rings.

1. A diamond in the rough The natural beauty of rough diamonds is formed over millennia, deep within the earth, and releasing their potential is a momentous undertaking.

Graff’s highly skilled gemologists must discover what lies within the inner depths of each stone, and decide how to unleash the very best cut, shape and quality – refusing to compromise – in an unerring quest to create diamonds that uphold Graff’s exceptional standards of symmetry, proportion and clarity. Each stone is analysed, using precision scanning technology and peerless expertise, to understand the diamond’s inner script and how best to delve into its core, determining its fate forever.

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4. Setting the silhouette Next, the intensely detailed polishing can begin, as the polishers begin working on each facet, finalising all the angles and inclinations so that they bounce light around the stone.

Graff’s specialists work with tools that have been used for centuries, tackling the stone facet by facet, adjusting and checking their work every few moments. This stage requires nerves of steel – the stone is being polished on a “scaife”, or wheel, which turns at 3,500 rotations per minute, so a single false move could cause irreversible damage.

2. Brave beginnings Making the first cut into a rough stone, opening its deep expanse up to the light and unleashing its inner fire, is a tense moment. Graff’s experts must navigate micron to micron, to ensure that they don’t make any incisions that could risk the value of the stone. The utmost accuracy and pioneering technology is required, calling for laser beams that are just 0.06mm wide, guided by high-speed water jets. The initial incisions separate the approximate outline of the main stone from the excess rough, and once it is free, the craftsmen meticulously inspect its proportions to ensure it meets Graff’s exacting standards.

3. Taking shape To cut and polish a rough diamond requires an enormous amount of patience and determination, and involves working like the finest sculptors – gradually releasing a beautiful form from the rough, working away for many hundreds of hours. Graff’s experts begin by shaping the stone, defining its silhouette and approximately setting the main facets, amending the position of these facets by microns. This part of the journey entrusts the stone into the hands of a specialist who has been trained over several decades, who uses his expertise and intuition to delicately hone the diamond.

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The final polishing is perfected by an artisan who has spent years mastering this technique Opposite: Exquisite Classic Graff diamond rings featuring round, emerald cut and pear shape diamonds, available in an array of different carat weights

6. Seal of approval When the stone is perfectly cut and polished it is sent to the Gemological Institute of America, where it will be assessed. The GIA, a world authority in grading gemstones, collates its judgements on the properties of the final stone into an independent report, affirming the quality of its cut and clarity, and rewarding Graff ’s efforts in continually striving for perfection. Over the years, Graff has received remarkable reports on countless jewels, commending the exemplary standards of cutting and polishing achieved by the master craftsmen within its workshops.

5. The final touches The stone is ready to receive its “star facets” – the final, miniature facets that breathe extra life and brilliancy into the stone. Even the girdle of a Graff diamond, its central perimeter, is meticulously faceted, to add even greater scintillation. Every single facet is then measured using further laser technology to check its precise positioning. Each of Graff’s team of craftsmen has an innate specialism and this stage will be completed by an artisan who is an expert in the final stages of polishing, having spent many years solely dedicated to mastering this technique.

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7. A remarkable result Graff’s skilled team ensures each diamond is cradled within a setting that harmonises with its individual, magnificent beauty, creating a surround that complements the distinct personality of each cut and amplifying the diamond’s extraordinary radiance. The stones are poised to begin their journey out into the world, ready to be admired as Graff jewels – the most fabulous jewels in the world.

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W O R D S H A N N A H S I LV E R P H OTO G RA P H Y A DA M W H I T E H E A D

Cocktail hour Guaranteed to elicit admiring glances, the Graff Snowfall watch is the ultimate cocktail watch, the epitome of after-dark elegance and a paean to pleasure An unapologetically glamorous take on the traditional timepiece, the cocktail watch has been coveted by women the world over since the Twenties. Much like the cocktail hour itself, which lent it its name, it is intended purely for pleasure, affording the wearer the same hedonistic sense of delight as the first thrilling sips of a good champagne.

While horology has followed the vagaries of fashion through the decades, certain constants remain. A cocktail watch must have an unashamedly bold aesthetic and celebrate beauty for beauty’s sake – with head-turning results that cannot help but inspire a little envy. Naturally, the Graff Snowfall watch

satisfies all these criteria. Its scintillating lattice of diamonds was inspired by falling snow and the intricate facets of a single snowflake. From its sculptural silhouette to the meandering path it takes as it drifts softly to the ground, the House’s skilful artisans have captured it all, as you can see in the timepiece’s new, slimmer iteration.

With their use of cutting-edge techniques and a unique joint system, the diamonds remain mesmerically fluid, gently undulating as the wearer moves. Diamonds of varying sizes, independent within the hypnotic whole, frame a mother of pearl dial. A little black dress is the only backdrop this breathtaking piece requires.

Left: Diamond Snowfall watch with a black satin strap (5.53cts). Above: Diamond Snowfall watch (18.23cts) 45 43

A GEM OF A COLLECTION For Laurence and Francois Graff, Ferrari is the ultimate car.

But which is the ultimate Ferrari? Feast your eyes on one leading contender: the 400 Superamerica CoupĂŠ Aerodinamico

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WO R DS JAS O N BA R LOW

F

or a man whose name has unparalleled international resonance, Enzo Ferrari was not someone who liked to travel. Nor did he stray far from his Modena birthplace when he founded Ferrari in 1947, choosing the agrarian Emilia-Romagna backwater of Maranello for his factory headquarters.

The original ochre-hued entrance on Via Abetone is still intact, but as the company celebrates its 70th anniversary, Ferrari now feels more like a technology campus than an artisan carmaker. The sense of history is palpable, of course, but in this anniversary year the marque is clearly committed to engineering Ferrari’s future as well as honouring its glorious past. “My favourite Ferrari? That which is yet to be built,” Enzo Ferrari always said, only slightly tongue-in-cheek.

This particular weekend in September, however, it is indulging in a celebratory retrospective. Maranello and its environs are a sea of red. Six months of worldwide activity is culminating in a huge party, held on Ferrari’s Fiorano test track. One could almost call it Ferrari Fest, given the grandstand and stage that straddle turns 4 and 5. More than 5,000 top clients have made the pilgrimage, 118 exquisite cars are entered in a prestigious concorso d’eleganza and RM Sotheby’s is holding a keenly awaited auction.

This weekend, if you have petrol flowing through your veins, Maranello is the axis around which the world turns.

Testament to this is the presence of both Laurence and Francois Graff. “Isn’t this incredible?” Francois says, gesturing to the array of automobiles that fan out behind us.

If ownership of a high-end historic car provides a gateway to a fascinating subculture, then Ferrari is surely the most arcane and devoted of all. There are different strata within the community of Ferrari collectors: some owners are drawn to 1950s racing models with notable provenance, driven by legendary champions; others to carrozzeria-crafted one-offs.

Some love front-engined V12 GTs – or have allowed popular culture to light the way. A surprising number of American Ferrari owners of my acquaintance from a particular generation were indoctrinated by television shows such as Magnum, PI or Miami Vice, both of which starred iconic Prancing Horse models.

The Graffs are certainly connoisseurs. They own, among others, a 250 GT Tour de France, a 250 GT California Spyder

Laurence Graff’s lovingly restored 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico has a fascinating backstory

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“The 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico could be likened to a rare diamond – the quality of the craftsmanship is exquisite”

Right: The 18-edition 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico on the assembly line

SWB in the highly desirable covered-headlight spec, a 250 GT SWB, a 250 GT Lusso, a 250 LM, a 275 GTB/4, an F40 and a LaFerrari hypercar – and those in the know can recognise an expertly curated collection when they see one.

Laurence Graff’s most recent acquisition may also be the most compelling. The 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico is a 1962 gran turismo model epitomising Ferrari’s embrace of a more luxurious and less overtly sporting archetype. Its original owner, Erwin Goldschmidt, definitely fitted the brief. A talented gentleman driver with several successful Ferrari race outings to his name, Goldschmidt has been described as a “bookish perfectionist of mercurial personality” who was passionate about cars. He was also a connoisseur who was dedicated in his quest for excellence – of which this model is surely an examplar.

Goldschmidt was equally passionate and driven in his pursuit of the art collection that had been stolen from his family. For Erwin was the son of the German-Jewish financier, art collector and philanthropist Jakob Goldschmidt, who fled Germany in 1933 in a car full of Renoirs and Picassos, and later settled in the United States. Erwin subsequently chased down many of the heirlooms the Nazis had managed to get their hands on – and sold many of them for record-breaking prices.

His 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico, chassis no. 3949, was one of just 18 such cars Ferrari made, and was delivered to his home in Davos, Switzerland, in December 1962, its boot containing his favourite salami, courtesy of Enzo Ferrari himself. For these cars, produced in partnership with the celebrated coachbuilders at Pininfarina, were only available for Ferrari’s most important customers – clients who were friends of the marque, each of whom requested small but significant modifications.

In the case of the Goldschmidt car, these included fitted luggage, additional interior grab-handles (requested by Mrs Goldschmidt, a former Miss Argentina) and extractor vents on 46 48

ARCHIVI FARABOLA; PATRICK ERNZEN/RM SOTHEBY’S

the rear wings. Under that unusually swoopy bonnet was a sophisticated iteration of Ferrari’s fabulous V12, now increased to almost four litres in capacity, whose triple Weber carburettors helped it produce 340bhp. These were heady numbers for the period, and represented a major shift for Ferrari, propelling the marque yet further into the stratosphere. For the boutique Italian sports car-maker was now making high-performance luxury cars.

“The Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico could be likened to a rare diamond,” says Laurence Graff when asked to define what makes this car stand out, even among his own collection of exceptional classic cars. “The lines are beautiful – sporty and at the same time luxurious – and of course the craftsmanship of the coachbuilding is exquisite. A tiny number of these models were made, and all have their own distinct modifications. And the fact that this model was made for Erwin Goldschmidt and driven by him for many years gives it a singular and very special provenance. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to acquire it for my collection.” For Francois Graff, the comparison with a rare gemstone also hold true. “Most of our pieces are one-offs – and rarity is something our clients enjoy too.”

A stroll between the cars lined up alongside Fiorano’s evocative corners for that anniversary is an object lesson in the enduring power and appeal of the Ferrari brand. As Francois sees it, “You have to be something of a student not only of your competition, but other important brands. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s none more important than Ferrari. It’s a phenomenal company. Ask an Eskimo to name the most famous car in the world and, while he may not say a Ferrari, he’ll know that the car is red and he’ll know what it looks like. To have that kind of brand power is incredible. It’s what we all aspire to.”

“A car like this is something to treasure,” adds Laurence Graff.

“A Ferrari is very different from a Graff jewel, but we share precisely the same obsession with producing excellence.”

From top: The 400 Superamerica’s bodywork, bearing the badge of Ferrari and Pininfarina; Erwin Goldschmidt at the wheel of the Allard J2 Cadillac in which he won the 1950 Watkins Glen Grand Prix; the car’s leather interior

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Eastern promise Graff ’s latest timepieces celebrate Asia’s most iconic cityscapes

GYROGRAFF SKYLINE HONG KONG Graff’s Metier D’Art timepieces are the pinnacle of watchmaking prowess, fusing the world’s most sophisticated horological engineering with breathtaking artistry. Each GyroGraff Skyline timepiece has a domed dial on which there are three to four levels of relief, allowing Graff’s master craftsmen to build up the level of detail and achieve an astonishingly realistic silhouette of the gleaming city under the night’s sky. The remarkable level of accuracy and meticulous savoir-faire displayed in the GyroGraff Skyline Hong Kong is complemented by the technical prowess of three complications: a double-axis tourbillon, a power-reserve indicator and a three-dimensional, hand-carved white gold moonphase.

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GYROGRAFF SKYLINE SHANGHAI Graff’s artisans have mesmerisingly reproduced on the dial of the GyroGraff Skyline Shanghai timepiece even the barely perceptible minutiae of the Chinese city’s striking horizon. Using a technique that requires immense skill and many years of experience, the scene is captured in such intricate, almost photographic detail that it includes the reflection of the skyscrapers on the gleaming waters below. The dial is brought to life with gleaming accents thanks to remarkably intricate hand-engraving.

Meanwhile, the sparkling backdrop, crafted from aventurine, is a further technical triumph: this extremely fragile stone is prone to breakage and needs to be painstakingly honed by the House’s master craftsmen to just 0.25mm at its finest point to create the star-strewn sky.

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PEAK CONDITION

World-class gastronomy, immaculate slopes and the pinnacle of après-ski glamour – why Courchevel and Gstaad are the jewels in the crown of Alpine skiing

P H OTO G RA P H Y A DA M W H I T E H E A D S T Y L I N G T I L LY H A R D Y

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WORDS SEAN NEWSOM

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inter comes early in the Alps. “It’s in late October that the weather really starts to change,” says Patrik Wiederkehr, Director of Switzerland’s prestigious Suvretta Snowsports School. “That’s when we start to get that special sizzling cold – when the temperature can drop to -10°C at night, and the air becomes dry and clear. By the end of November, the snow usually extends from the mountain peaks right down to the valley floor.”

This effects a striking transformation across towns such as Gstaad, Courchevel and Wiederkehr’s St Moritz – and not just in the switch from rich autumn colours to dazzling white. The pace of life picks up, too. While everyone else is turning up their collars and taking refuge indoors, the thrill-seekers of the world are zipping themselves into Gore-Tex jackets and heading uphill, as the ski season begins.

The snow also turns remote mountain valleys into some of the most fashionable places on earth.

Let us not forget that, in centuries past, life in the Alps was hard. Short summers, fierce winters and poor communications meant poverty was endemic, and communities would routinely send their men away to look for work. The Swiss, for example, marched off far and wide to fight in other people’s armies. The Ladins of the Dolomites, meanwhile, worked in Germany as house painters. Now the world comes to them – and it’s not just the snow that sparkles in the sunshine, but champagne flutes, supercars and, of course, diamonds.

But each and every ski resort has its own particular appeal, and perhaps, to a certain extent, its own partisans – those ski lovers who return time after time, year after year. They come back for the particular delight that is a rehearsed pleasure – that one you know, love and eagerly anticipate. The ingredients of that pleasure might be the epic mountain vista that still takes your breath away, the run you’ve skied down more times than you can remember (and which you sometimes ski in your dreams) or the restaurant where the maître d’ knows your name and the barman starts mixing your cocktail of choice as you walk through the door. And while destinations like Courchevel,

Gstaad and St Moritz might share all of the qualities above, some of their distinct characteristics are down to their own respective histories.

Courchevel, for example, is a purely modern invention, a Vichy French official in the 1940s having cooked up the idea of putting a ski resort in Tarentaise Valley. In contrast, Gstaad’s roots as a farming village can be traced back to the 1400s at least, while St Moritz has been settled since the Bronze Age. When it comes to winter glamour, St Moritz was the

Opposite: The awe-inspiring, adrenaline-eliciting Alps.

This page: Sapphire and diamond Bombé earrings (Sapphires 28.67cts,

Diamonds 5.09cts)

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clear pioneer. In 1864, Johannes Badrutt, proprietor of the Hotel Kulm, bet a group of British aristocrats that if they didn’t find winter in the Alps as sunny and enjoyable as summer, he would refund the cost of their holiday. The experiment was a success, and Europe’s blue-bloods have been returning to the Alpine ski resorts every winter since.

Although St Moritz was the first, these days both Courchevel and Gstaad have overtaken the Swiss grande dame in the glamour stakes. You might not sense this, however, if you stood at La Croisette, Courchevel’s hub of lifts and pistes.

The resort is part of France’s vast Les Trois Vallées ski area, and the overwhelming first impression is of a destination dedicated to sport. But hidden away among the trees is the glitz – in abundance.

There are no fewer than 20 five-star hotels here, three of which are in the even more elevated Palace category, while the road to Courchevel’s mini-airport, or Altiport, leads to some fabulous private chalets. Many are available to rent, complete with Michelin-standard chefs and platoons of staff. This, coupled with broad, inviting and beautifully groomed pistes – perfectly suited for intermediate-level skiers – contribute to the resort’s enduringly popularity.

Lunch is undeniably the key event in the Courchevel day, and every slope is studded with come-hither restaurants. Foodies will want to ski over to La Bouitte, in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, to worship at the gastronomic temple of René and Maxime Meilleur. But for people-watching, Le Cap Horn, just above the Altiport, is the place to be. Its vast terrace is buzzing whenever the sun comes out, and there’s a sense of social theatre as waiters and guests sweep along its plush red carpets.

Needless to say, the menu and the wine list both reflect the affluence of the clientele.

But if your definition of luxury is a little more low-key, might we suggest Gstaad? Here, as in St Moritz, winter holidays have a long pedigree.

The resort’s social hub, the Gstaad Palace hotel,

There are no fewer than 20 five-star hotels, while the road to Courchevel’s mini-airport leads to some fabulous private chalets 56 52

Opposite: Diamond Luna earrings (13.52cts). Diamond Swirl ring (10.14cts). This page: Ruby and diamond Chandelier earrings (Rubies 20.75cts, Diamonds 12.42cts). Ruby BombĂŠ ring (Rubies 19.67cts)

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opened back in 1913, and in the Sixties and Seventies, the resort was the regular haunt of cinema luminaries such as Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, and James Bond star Roger Moore, while – for those lucky enough to have membership – the Eagle Ski Club remains one of the world’s most exclusive restaurants.

Nevertheless, Gstaad offers its devotees a considerably more relaxed style of winter holiday than they will find in Courchevel or St Moritz.

Guests here take their cue from the pretty, forested landscapes of the Saane valley, and intersperse their skiing with atmospheric winter walks and plenty of revitalising spa time.

Opposite: Diamond Abstract Butterfly earrings (15.60cts).

Round diamond bracelet (18.61cts). Diamond Bombé ring (16.77cts). This page: Pristine pistes make for perfect skiing conditions

Gstaad’s lift system spreads over the mountains on both sides of the village, and unless you’re holidaying there over Christmas or New Year, the slopes are famously – and blissfully – uncrowded.

This is the kind of resort where you can lean hard on the edges of your skis and make big, joyful turns across the full width of the piste without worrying about tangling with other skiers. Bear in mind, however, that most of the slopes here are below 2,000m. If the weather is mild, jump in a taxi to the Col du Pillon and take the cable car to Les Diablerets – there, the pistes rise to an eyewatering 3,016m. Just be sure to save some time afterwards for Gstaad’s boutiques, because this is the kind of Alpine village where you find branches of Prada, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren – and, of course, a Graff boutique.

So, will this connection between the Alpine winter and the rich and famous endure? “Yes, of course,” says Patrik Wiederkehr. “As long as the snow falls, people will always come to The Alps.

Snow awakens a sense of wonder in everyone – whether they’re young or old – and a sense of fun too. It makes the mountains irresistible.”

With thanks to L’Apogée Courchevel, part of the Oetker Collection

GRAFF’S ALPINE STORES Graff’s flagship store in Gstaad and salon in Courchevel (both open from December) were designed to echo the interior of a traditional – albeit sumptuous – ski chalet. Each has oak-panelled walls, a roaring fire and ornate chandeliers, creating an intimate yet opulent environment in which to discover Graff’s magnificent jewellery. As the slopes come alive with the season’s thrill-seekers, so the windows are ablaze with incandescent treasures – the perfect après-ski indulgence.

Embassy, in St Moritz, hosts an exhibition of important jewels by Graff from 28 December to 14 January 2018.

From left: a warm welcome awaits at Graff’s Gstaad flagship store and Courchevel salon 59 55

Brilliance IN BLOOM

PHOTOGRAPHY GRAEME MONTGOMERY SET DESIGN ANNETTE MASTERMAN

I N S P I RE D BY N AT U RE ’S B O UN T Y, T H E H O US E O F G R A F F P RE S E N T S A N E XQ U I S I T E B O UQ U E T O F T H E F I N E S T G E M S

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Botanical brilliance

Peerless posy

Horticultural hues

Previous pages: 27.03 carat D Flawless round diamond ring. Diamond cuff (49.80cts).

Round diamond earrings (37.55cts). 10.24 carat D Flawless round diamond ring

This page: Diamond Carissa Earrings (13.51cts).

10.23 carat cushion cut Vibrant Red spinel and diamond ring (Diamonds 6.80cts).

3.07 carat cushion cut sapphire and diamond Swirl ring. 3.13 carat cushion cut pink sapphire and diamond Swirl ring

Opposite: Ruby and diamond Swirl ring

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(Diamonds 7.38cts, Rubies 3.01cts).

Ruby and diamond earrings

(Rubies 17.52cts, Diamonds 4.82cts)

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A scintillating spray

Season’s splendour

Blossoming beauty

Previous pages: Fancy Vivid Yellow and white diamond Abstract earrings (20.21cts). 5.03 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow round diamond ring (12.30cts). Fancy Intense Yellow and white oval diamond bracelet (39.48cts). Fancy Vivid Yellow and white multishape diamond earrings (36.85cts)

Opposite: 20.16 carat D Internally Flawless square emerald cut diamond ring. Diamond earrings featuring 10.46 carat and 10.17 carat D Flawless square emerald cut diamonds

This page: 42.72 carat D Flawless heart shape diamond ring. Heart shape diamond bracelet (45.97cts). Diamond earrings featuring 10.17 carat and 10.18 carat D Flawless heart shape diamonds

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Autumn colours 22.84 carat cabochon Colombian emerald and diamond bracelet (Diamonds 70.23cts).

10.37 carat cushion cut Colombian emerald and diamond ring (Diamonds 6.10cts). 9.09 carat emerald cut Old Mine Colombian emerald and diamond ring (Diamonds 6.90cts)

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And the rest is history... somewhere my father had told me about when he was in the war,” says Laurence.

Upon his arrival, Laurence was directed to Raffles Place, the heart of the shopping district, where Malaysian aristocracy would socialise and spend. On his way to the hotel, however, Laurence decided to investigate Robinson’s department store – unaware that this simple moment of curiosity could change his life.

Bumping into the store manager, a man who had previously owned a small boutique in Newcastle that Laurence had supplied jewellery to, earned him a warm welcome and the chance to proffer his jewels. The manager was opening a new jewellery department within Robinson’s, but didn’t as yet have any product to fill the vitrines. Despite being armed with only one case of jewellery worth $1,000, Laurence persuaded the manager that if he gave him just seven days, he could supply him with enough beautiful jewels to stock the entire department. “I leapt into action,” explains Laurence. “I got a bit more credit, made a few more diamond rings, and rushed back to Singapore – I was

WORDS CHARLIE BOYD

A S GRAFF OPE NS ITS FIRST FLAGSHIP STORE IN SINGAP ORE, LAURE NCE GRAFF RE CALLS HOW A CHANCE E NCOUNTE R LE D TO A LONG AND FRUITFUL CONNE CTION WITH THE “LION CIT Y ”

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A

mere seven years after founding his business, a young Laurence Graff found himself in a travel agent’s office, asking for the farthest-flung ticket he could buy, intending to roam the world in search of new opportunities to sell his jewellery. The young man hoped that this venture would take his company to the next echelon and introduce him to a wealthier clientele, allowing him to design bigger, better and more fabulous jewels.

With a ticket to Australia in hand, Laurence planned a short pause in Singapore on his return journey – a fateful stopover that would alter the course of his business forever, and one that makes the opening of Graff’s new flagship store in Singapore this year all the more meaningful.

Laurence’s father, who had visited the island during the war, had instilled an appetite for exoticism in the young jeweller, telling him of the island’s glamorous ladies and the growing glitterati attracted to this pole star of the East, where jet-setting cultures would mingle. “To me, it made Singapore romantic and exciting, I was going to go

The new store is a sumptuous salon with luxurious interiors and sparkling crystal chandeliers

Left to right: Singapore’s legendary Raffles Hotel in the 1970s; the new Graff flagship store in ION Orchard luxury shopping mall

Above: Ms Zhang Tuyue, Ms Xia Qiong and friends

Above: A model presents Graff jewels

A GLITTERING START this young guy in this wonderland, where there was wealth and all sorts of people from all over the world.”

That chance encounter led to a two-week-long exhibition, where the young Graff sold virtually every piece he had brought with him, sparking a series of regular Robinson’s exhibitions, every other month, that were eagerly anticipated by high society. “All the women would come to see me,” says Laurence.

This entry into the Eastern market, introducing the name of Graff to an entire cohort of sophisticated, international clients, created some of the strongest relationships and most remarkable opportunities within the history of the business, and is an influential moment that the Graff family are still keenly aware of and remember fondly, especially now that they are opening a flagship store in Singapore’s ION Orchard luxury shopping mall.

“Singapore holds a special place in Graff’s history,” says Francois Graff, CEO of Graff. “It is an important retail destination and we are delighted to be opening our first flagship store here.”

The new store is set over 2,330 sq ft and is a fitting tribute to an important relationship that spans over five decades.

It is a sumptuous salon with luxurious interiors, featuring walnut panelling, sparkling crystal chandeliers and antique velvet sofas. Furthermore, the tempting attributes of this remarkable city that originally lured Laurence Graff to its shores – its hive of mixing cultures and criss-crossing of international visitors – remain steadfast and strong; attracting many of the world’s jewellery connoisseurs and devoted Graff clients. It appears that just one case full of jewellery, just one plane ticket, and one ambitious dream of Laurence Graff led to a new era of magnificent jewels within Singapore’s bright lights and bustling skyline.

In October, guests were welcomed into the new Singapore salon for a prestigious inaugural evening hosted by Laurence and Francois Graff. A remarkable selection of high jewellery and timepieces was presented to a select group of invitees, including the Graff Sunflower – an extraordinary 107 carat Fancy Yellow cushion cut diamond set within a white diamond bracelet.

Above from left: Mr Henry Hu (Sales Supervisor), Ms Maggie Zhu; Graff’s President of Asia Mr Arnaud Bastien, a Graff model; Sales Director Mr Romain Le Chevallier, Ms Serene Tan, Mr Benjamin Kim

Above: Ms Zhang Tuyue, a friend of Ms Xia Qiong, Ms Xia Qiong and Mr Francois Graff

Above: Ms Lu Yuan, Mr Laurence Graff, Ms Hao Congmei and Ms Guo Yan Ling (Senior Sales) 71 67

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Mountain high F R O M T H E L U S H V I N E YA R D S O F S O U T H A F R I C A C O M E S D E L A I R E G R A F F E S T A T E ’ S S U N B U R S T – A D E S S E RT W I N E I N F U S E D W I T H T H E S U N A N D S E A B RE E Z E S O F T H E WE S T E RN C A P E WORDS MARGARET RAND

P H OTO G RA P H Y S O P H I E G O R D O N

It would be hard to find a more evocative name for a late-harvest dessert wine. Delaire Graff Sunburst Noble Late Harvest gained its memorable moniker because it perfectly summed up the sun’s rays that break through the morning mists of the Stellenbosch Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape, where it is produced.

Laurence Graff acquired the Estate because he fell in love with its breathtaking setting. It opened as a winery in 2009 and since then, has established a reputation for wines of balance and elegance. Alongside is an award-winning luxury destination, with spa, restaurants and lodges where guests can relax amid landscaped gardens. Both the gardens and the winery play host to priceless artworks, for Laurence Graff is one of the world’s great collectors. The vineyards climb the slopes above, and if you were to ascend beyond them, to the crest of the Helshoogte Mountain Pass, you would have a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Sunburst analogy is ideal: the combination of mist and sunlight, of fresh sea breezes and rich ancient soils, gives very special conditions for vines. The landscape around Durbanville, where the grapes for this wine are grown, is green and undulating. The vines are situated at between 100m and 200m, and the altitude means the climate is more temperate – the sun warms them up and the breeze cools them down. But it is the ocean influence that is key: it produces the mists that, just three or four years in ten, give the perfect conditions for making late-harvest wine from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

The secret lies in a mould – called Botrytis cinerea in Latin and known as noble rot in English – which forms in and on the ripe berries, concentrating the sugars and acids, and changing the flavour to one that is redolent of honey. To flourish, it needs a particular mixture of misty dawns and warm, dry days.

When precisely the right conditions occur, Delaire Graff Estate’s winemaker Morné Vrey will take the decision to leave the grapes on the vine until the Botrytis has spread throughout – always a risk, because autumn weather can be unpredictable and birds adore ripe grapes – before setting the pickers to selecting the best, most botrytised bunches. They pick in the early hours, so the grapes arrive at the winery cool and fresh, with acidity and aromas intact.

Acidity is crucial to dessert wines; wines that are merely sweet are cloying. What is ideal is a balance of richness and liveliness. The grapes are fermented in French oak barrels, of which just sixty per cent are new, and left there for 16 months – a long, slow upbringing. It is a wine of beautiful, taut balance – not intensely sweet but just right for matching a fruit dessert, for example. Its flavours are of cantaloupe melon, peach and apricot, its aromas of lychee, blackcurrant and geranium. It is long, elegant and precise, with lightness as well as concentration. And, with just 8,000 bottles made, it is a delicious rarity.

Delaire Graff Sunburst Noble Late Harvest 2015; delaire.co.za 73 69

I N S O U T H A F R I C A’ S C A P E WI N E L A N D S, THE PEBBLES PROJECT, AIDE D BY LAURE NCE G R A F F ’ S F AC E T F O U N D AT I O N, IS HELPING GIVE CHILDRE N LIVING IN CHALLENGING C I RC U M S TA N C E S THE HOPE OF A BRIGHT FUTURE

WORDS CHARMAINE GOLA

P H OTO G RA P H Y A N N A LU ST Y

DARING to DREAM “Imagine you see everything in the world in black and white, and then one day you suddenly see these bursts of colour.” This is how Chanelle Daniels, a 13-year-old schoolgirl from South Africa’s Cape Winelands, describes how the Pebbles Project and Laurence Graff’s foundation, FACET (For Africa’s Children Every Time), have transformed her life.

“This is what it means to wake up in a world of possibilities,” she says, explaining how a long-distance educational programme has given her the strength to make decisions about who and what she wants to become, not limited by where she comes from.

There is no doubt that South Africa’s wine country is easy on the eye. It’s home to rolling mountains, vast blue skies and acres of verdant vineyards, which, of course, produce some of the world’s great wines.

But that magnificent scenery disguises profound social problems – and, in particular, the troubling heritage of the “dop” system. Under this arrangement, farm workers received some of their wages in an apportionment of wine. Although this practice was pronounced illegal in 1960, the law wasn’t properly enforced until the Nineties. Several 74 70

generations after the system was officially stamped out, the enduring effects of dependence on alcohol remain and its associated societal injustices are far more difficult to erase.

The Pebbles Project was established to tackle some of these deeprooted challenges. Founded in 2004 by Sophia Warner, a British special-needs teacher, its original aim was to provide support to children suffering from foetal-alcohol syndrome, which is caused by women drinking heavily during pregnancy. But Warner soon realised there was a need to help more youngsters in these communities to prosper, not just those who experience barriers to learning.

Most of the project’s beneficiaries are the children of workers who live on the wine farms, often in challenging circumstances, and who suffer from a lack of access to education, health and other essential services. Based on the Villiera wine estate, it focuses on what it sees as the five pillars of a child’s life: as well as access to education and healthcare, it encourages good nutrition, fosters community engagement and ensures youngsters are protected and cared for.

Via this holistic approach, it improves not just their access to learning, but also tackles the factors that can undermine their ability to learn.

All beneficiary children receive educational support from birth until they enter the world of work. The organisation has grown from supporting 384 young people in 2009 to supporting almost 1,500, with 48 facilities across the Western Cape wine region, and it’s now looking to expand into new areas. Over the course of the year ahead, Warner also plans to establish a central kitchen where fresh food can be prepared for 700 children every day and to create opportunities for families on the farms to grow fruit and vegetables to supply the kitchen as a community income-generation project.

The environment and resources provided by the Pebbles Project are vital in supporting children’s learning opportunities, which is where FACET stepped in, helping to deliver these benefits to a greater number of youngsters. FACET’s Graff Mobile Learning Centres – which comprise two computer labs, one book-and-DVD library, a multi-purpose vehicle and a mobile classroom – tour the wine farms,

Opposite: Thirteen-year-old Chanelle Daniels, one of the many thriving beneficiaries of FACET and the Pebbles Project.

Below: After-School Club in the Graff Mobile Learning Centre

providing educational programmes and support. This not only ensures that children such as Chanelle have access to computers, but that they thrive in subjects such as mathematics and literacy as well as life skills.

“We don’t have a computer at home and my parents have never used one,” Chanelle explains. “I’m so lucky to be able to go to AfterSchool Club, because I can use the books and work on a laptop, then print everything out. My school marks have definitely improved.”

Chanelle’s nearest public library is six miles away, in Stellenbosch, and her parents would otherwise need to pay for a taxi there and back. “By the time they come home from work, they know I will have finished all my homework. And the best thing is, I don’t have to travel – the Mobile Learning Centre comes direct to the farm.”

Having first entered the Pebbles Project programme through its early-childhood development programme aged just three months, Chanelle will continue to be supported to ensure she develops into a capable, independent and confident young woman. While genderbased discrimination in terms of access to school does not constitute a significant problem in South Africa, female pupils are nonetheless more at risk of experiencing violence and abuse in the school context.

A recent study by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention revealed that five per cent of girls at secondary school were likely to have been sexually assaulted or raped. Understandably, the experience of violence can result in a fear of attending school and a consequent failure to fulfil academic potential.

“Starting high school this year has been a challenge,” confirms Chanelle. “It’s hard not to give in to peer pressure, and there have been a few instances of bullying. My self-esteem took a bit of knock and, some days, I just didn’t want to go to school.”

Issues such as these are addressed via FACET’s life-skills programme, which encourages young people to discuss self-esteem, leadership, and even child-trafficking. “Through the Graff Mobile Learning Centre, I found my confidence and my voice,” Chanelle smiles. “I now understand that my identity is separate from my friends’ and my parents’.

Now I have the courage to choose and to say ‘no’ when necessary.”

This very practical empowerment is part of the transformation that Chanelle likens to a life switched from black-and-white to colour.

“Working so hard on my maths is helping me achieve my dream of becoming an accountant,” she says proudly. “Imagine that!”

Thanks to the Pebbles Project and FACET, this dream really is achievable. One beneficiary, who hails from the same farming community as Chanelle, is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in education at Stellenbosch University. And the approach of enriching one child’s life at a time is proof of just how far within their community the ripple effect can be felt. pebblesproject.co.za; facet-foundation.org

“Through the Graff Mobile Learning Centre, I found my confidence and my voice” 75 71

SOCIAL DIARY Monte Carlo Gala for The Global Ocean A GLIT TERING GALA BENEFITING THE PRINCE ALBERT II MONACO FOUNDATION

In September, Graff donated an exquisite pendant personally selected

by Laurence Graff, and a heavenly escape to the Delaire Graff Estate, to the inaugural Monte Carlo Gala Auction for The Global Ocean. Held at the Opera Garnier in Monte Carlo, the event was a dazzling success, raising funds for oceanic sustainability.

From left to right: Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Leonardo DiCaprio; Simon de Pury auctions a Graff diamond and ruby pendant.

From left to right: Gareth Roberts, Peter C Borer, Francois Graff, Louise Napier, Laurence Graff and Arnaud Bastien

Celebrating precious partnerships RIVIERA RENDEZVOUS

Helen David, chief merchant at Harrods, dined with Laurence Graff on the French Riviera this summer, celebrating the long-standing partnership between Graff and the iconic department store.

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Leaders in luxury THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

In October, executives from The Peninsula Hotels met with Graff ’s Chairman, CEO and President of Asia. Graff has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Peninsula for many years, with Graff stores featuring in Peninsula hotels throughout Asia.

An opening in Singapore A NEW DESTINATION FOR JEWELLERY LOVERS

In September, press were invited to the opening of the new Graff flagship Singapore store in the prestigious ION Orchard shopping mall. Editors enjoyed discovering Graff’s unique jewels while sipping champagne, surrounded by the elegant and opulent interiors of the new salon.

High jewellery in Tokyo AN EVENING OF EXQUISITE JEWELLERY

In May 2017, The Peninsula Tokyo played host to a magnificent High Jewellery exhibition, showcasing a selection of unique and remarkable jewels.

Above, from top: A model presenting jewellery to the press; an editor photographs a beautiful diamond brooch Clockwise, from top left: Mr Hiroshi Goto and Mrs Lili Goto; Ms Kiko Matsuyama; a captivating emerald necklace presented at the exhibition; Ms Rie Yoshihara and Ms Yuki Yoshihara; delicious treats complemented the beautiful jewels; Ms Yuriko Miyahara and Ms Mayumi Erisman 77 73

SOCIAL DIARY A floral tribute to a new timepiece in Tokyo PASTEL PRET TINESS

In August, a sumptuous luncheon was hosted at the Andaz Tokyo hotel to present Graff’s Spiral watch. Invitees enjoyed a delectable lunch in the elegant salon adorned with exquisite blooms inspired by the vibrant hues of the Spiral watch straps.

VIP guests enjoying an evening of fine dining at The Peninsula Shanghai

Above, from left: Assistant Salon Manager Mr Justin Chen and Mr Wang Shen Ping; Ms Kelly Kan and Sales Supervisor Ms Fei Fei Guan; Ms Xing Song Lan and Mrs Xing

Dinner in Shanghai FINE DINING AND FRAGRANT FLOWERS

In July, Sir Elly’s restaurant at The Peninsula Shanghai hosted guests for a lavish dinner, set against the fabulous backdrop of Shanghai’s glittering skyline.

Clockwise, from top left: Vibrant blooms; Ms Seri Watanabe; the Spiral watch; Ms Kaoru Khan, General Manager 78 74

The World of Graff exhibition in Nagoya

Below, from top: Mr and Mrs Nakamura; Mrs Sato; Mr and Mrs Inagawa

A STELLAR SOIREE

In August, the Nagoya Marriott Associa hotel played host to a special event with guest of honour actress Ms Hitomi Kuroki, where guests were invited to discover exquisite jewels and extraordinary timepieces.

Clockwise, from top left: Mr and Mrs Mizukami; magnificent emerald and diamond jewels; Ms Hitomi Kuroki; Ms Hitomi Kuroki and Ms Kaoru Khan; delicious dessert inspired by Graff’s iconic butterfly jewels; Ms Naoko Hojo and Ms Kaoru Khan; Mr and Mrs Kusaka

The ‘Royal Bride’ tiara CROWNING GLORY

This spring and summer, several wedding days were made all the more special by Graff, as brides wore the breathtaking Royal Bride tiara – one of the many exquisite tiaras that our master craftsmen have lovingly created.

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SOCIAL DIARY Clockwise, from top left: Ms Xiang Wei; Ms Zheng Lili; Sales Director Mr Chris Lau, Ms Zhang Xiao Qing, a model wearing Graff jewellery, Ms Xie Yi Ge; Ms Zhang Xiao Qing

An Exhibition in Taichung SHOWCASING EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP IN TAIWAN

In September, a two-day exhibition of Graff’s extraordinary jewels was held in Taichung, where guests discovered the rare beauty and exceptional craftsmanship that is synonymous with Graff.

Clockwise, from top left: Ms Kuo Xiu Juan and friends; Sales Supervisor Ms Vivian Lin and Ms Kuo Ya Fen; Ms Cynthia, Sales Director Mr Chris Chen, Ms Li Yi Zhen and husband

Jewels and timepieces in Mykonos GRAFF VISITS THE PERFECT GREEK ISLAND

In July, Graff showcased its jewellery at Kessaris Jewellers in the heart of the elegant new shopping destination, Nammos Village, on the beautiful island of Mykonos.

A showcase in Ningbo AN EVENING OF MAGNIFICENT JEWELS

In September, a remarkable selection of magnificent jewels arrived at the Park Hyatt Ningbo hotel for guests to admire and enjoy.

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Above: Vitrines glittering with scintillating Graff jewels; a model wearing Graff’s elegant jewellery collections

The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award A GATHERING OF SUPERB CARS AND JEWELS

ADAM SWORDS

In August, eight of the world’s finest classic cars from the top international concours events were brought together to compete for the title of the most exceptional car in the world. With a longstanding love of motoring masterpieces, Graff was proud to sponsor the Best of The Best Award in partnership with The Peninsula Hotels.

Clockwise, from top left; Nancy Crown, Takashi Murakami, Steve Crown; Bill and Meredith Wolf; Katherine and Judd Malkin; Eve Rogers, Director of Graff Chicago, and Jennifer Kiefer, Sales Manager of Graff Chicago; Ashley and Pam Netzky

Clockwise, from top: A model wearing Graff jewels; the victorious 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta; Katharina Leventhal

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago AN ARTISTIC EXTRAVAGANZA IN THE WINDY CIT Y

Above, from left to right: Bruce Meyer, Christian Philippsen, The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Timm Bergold, winner of The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, and William ‘Chip’ E Connor II

In June, Graff sponsored the ArtEdge50 gala, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Guests were invited to a glamorous evening at the highly anticipated exhibition ‘The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg’ by Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami.

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GRAFF WORLDWIDE Europe UK London UK flagship store 8 New Bond Street

Zürich Bahnhofstrasse 16 8001 Zürich Tel: +41 43 888 70 20 RUSSIA

London W1S 3SJ Tel: +44 20 7584 8571

Moscow 5 Tretyakovsky Proyezd

11 Sloane Street

Moscow 109012 Tel: +7 495 933 3385

London SW1X 9LE Tel: +44 20 7201 4120 Harrods 87–135 Brompton Road London SW1X 7XL Tel: +44 20 3691 8703 MONACO Monte Carlo Casino de Monte Carlo Place du Casino Monte Carlo, MC 98000 Tel: +377 97 70 43 10 FRANCE Paris 17 Place Vendôme 75001 Paris Tel: +33 1 40 13 74 60 Courchevel Rue du Rocher 73120 Courchevel 1850 Tel: +33 4 79 24 59 12 SWITZERLAND Gstaad Promenade 2 3780 Gstaad Tel: +41 33 733 81 10 The Alpina Gstaad Alpinastrasse 23 3780 Gstaad Tel: +41 33 744 74 80 Geneva 29 Rue du Rhône 1204 Geneva Tel: +41 22 819 60 60

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Barvikha Luxury Village 8th km of RublyovoUspenskoye Highway Moscow 143082 Tel: +7 495 225 8867 TSUM department store 2 Petrovka Street Moscow 125009 Tel: +7 800 500 8000 UKRAINE Kiev 12/2/3 Gorodetskogo Street Kiev 01001 Tel: +38 044 278 7557

Above: Graff’s elegant new flagship store in Singapore.

Below: The sumptuous Bridal Room at Graff’s recently opened Yokohama Takashimaya salon

CYPRUS Limassol Building E7, Marina Lemesou Street, Limassol Marina 3601 Limassol Tel: +357 2535 4040

North America USA New York 710 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10065 Tel: + 1 212 421 3605 Bal Harbour 9700 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, FL 33154 Tel: +1 305 993 1212 Chicago 103 East Oak Street Chicago, IL 60611 Tel: +1 312 604 1000

Las Vegas Wynn Las Vegas 3131 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: +1 702 940 1000 Palm Beach 221 Worth Avenue Palm Beach, FL 33480 Tel: +1 561 355 9292 In selected Saks stores Saks Fifth Avenue, New York Beverly Hills, California Houston, Texas Naples, Florida Tysons Corner, Virginia Greenwich, Connecticut

Africa SOUTH AFRICA Stellenbosch Delaire Graff Estate Helshoogte Pass Stellenbosch 7600 Tel: +27 21 885 8160

The Middle East UAE Abu Dhabi The Galleria, Level 1 Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi Tel: +971 2 674 3666 Dubai The Burj Al Arab, D-94, Dubai Tel: +971 4 330 7717 The Dubai Mall, Dubai Tel: +971 4 339 9795 OMAN Muscat Opera Galleria, Shop No G-25 Royal Opera House Muscat Tel: +968 2200 9991

SAUDI ARABIA Riyadh

Hong Kong St George’s Building

Isetan Shinjuku 4th Floor

The Kingdom Centre Unit 113, 1st Floor

2 Ice House Street Central, Hong Kong Tel: +852 3125 1580

3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0022

The Peninsula Hong Kong Salisbury Road

Takashimaya Nihombashi 2nd Floor

Asia

Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2735 7666

2-4-1 Nihombashi, Chuo-ku Tokyo 103-8265

AZERBAIJAN Baku

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

Al Olaya, Riyadh Tel: +966 11 211 0103

2b 28 May Street Baku AZ 1000 Tel: +994 12 498 21 28 CHINA Beijing The Peninsula Beijing 8 Goldfish Lane Wangfujing Beijing 100006 Tel: +86 10 6513 6690 China World Hotel, Shop L1-1 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue Beijing 100004 Tel: +86 10 6505 1626 Hangzhou IN77 Hangzhou Hubin Yintai 19-1 Hubin Road Hangzhou 310006 Tel: +86 571 8708 2281

Level 103, International Commerce Centre 1 Austin Road West Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852 3125 1570 Macau Wynn Macau, Shop No 1 Rua Cidade de Sintra Nape, Macau Tel: +853 2878 3077 Wynn Palace, Shop No 2

Tel: +81 3 6457 8633

Tel: +81 3 3275 3060 Osaka Takashimaya Osaka 2nd Floor 5-1-5 Namba, Chuo-ku Osaka 542-8510 Tel: +81 6 4397 0130 Hankyu Umeda 5th Floor 8-7 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku Osaka 530-8350 Tel: +81 6 6313 0480

Avenida da Nave Desportiva Cotai, Macau

Fukuoka Fukuoka Iwataya

Tel: +853 2877 6098

Annex 1st Floor 2-5-35 Tenjin, Chuo-ku

Studio City, Shop No L01-1039 The Boulevard at Studio City Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau Tel: +853 2885 2238 Shanghai The Peninsula Shanghai Shop L1B-1C 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road The Bund, Shanghai 200002 Tel: +86 21 6321 6660 IFC Pudong, Shop L1-36 Phase II Shanghai IFC 8 Century Avenue Shanghai 200120 Tel: +86 21 5015 6013 JAPAN Tokyo The Peninsula Tokyo 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0006 Tel: +81 3 6267 0811

Fukuoka 810-8680 Tel: +81 92 739 6680

SINGAPORE Singapore 2 Orchard Turn 02-17 ION Orchard Singapore 238801 Tel: +65 6509 8082 SOUTH KOREA Seoul The Shilla Seoul 1st Floor 249 Dongho-ro Jung-gu Seoul 04605 Tel: +82 2 2256 6810 The Galleria Luxury Hall East, 1st Floor 407 Apgujeong-ro Gangnam-gu Seoul 06009 Tel: +82 2 6905 3330 TAIWAN Taipei The Grand Formosa Regent Taipei, 2nd Floor 41 Chung Shan North Road Section 2 Taipei 104 Tel: +886 2 2511 5865

Nagoya JR Nagoya Takashimaya 3rd Floor 1-1-4 Meieki, Nakamura-ku Nagoya 450-6001 Tel: +81 52 566 3802 Yokohama Yokohama Takashimaya 2nd Floor 1-6-31 Minamisaiwai, Nishi-ku Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-8601

Australasia AUSTRALIA Melbourne Crown Casino Shop 89, 8 Whiteman Street Southbank, Melbourne Victoria 3006 Tel: +61 3 8614 1180

Tel: +81 45 534 9940 KAZAKHSTAN Almaty No 67 Samal-2 Almaty Kazakhstan Tel: + 7 727 315 70 70

Left: Multishape diamond and emerald earrings

(Diamonds 46.66 cts, Emeralds 37.51 cts) 79 83

THE FINAL CUT

The Eternal Twins WORDS SARAH ROYCE-GREENSILL

Most earrings come in pairs, but while they might be aesthetically symmetrical, identical twins are almost impossibly rare. Every diamond has subtle nuances; a unique fingerprint. But the Eternal Twins share the same print. Identical in every way, including their chemical make-up, the diamonds were hewn from the same rough stone. That rough – a 269-carat diamond discovered in Botswana – presented Graff’s gemmologists with a challenge: how to maximise its yield and produce a polished gem of singular beauty.

After extensive mapping and modelling, the team realised there was potential to cleave two emerald cut stones of over 50 carats from its inner depths. It was a risky move: cutting two sizeable gems that lie side by side is treacherously tricky. Emerald cuts have a timeless appeal: they’re elegantly minimal and recall the glamour of the art deco era. But their long,

lean lines make the slightest imperfections more visible, meaning Flawless status is all the more difficult to achieve. Luckily Graff’s cutters and polishers are the most experienced in the world. The diamonds were expertly released from the rough and polished in unison, resulting in an unprecedented feat: two identical, D-colour, Flawless emerald cut diamonds, weighing in at precisely 50.23 carats each. Perfectly proportioned carbon copies, in every sense.

“The Eternal Twins were a challenge that we embraced knowing that we had been given an opportunity to create perfection, twice,” says Laurence Graff. He is understandably proud of the two new members of the Graff family, which float from a spray of D-colour diamonds in a spectacular pair of earrings. “The result is breathtaking.”

The Graff Eternal Twins: a pair of 50.23 carat D Flawless emerald cut diamonds, artfully suspended from a shower of emerald cut and round diamonds (Diamonds 132.53 cts)

80 84

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