The Diary of a Diamond

WHEN YOU STAND OUTSIDE THE GRAFF BOUTIQUE on New Bond Street in London, the boutique windows are simply beyond dazzling. You see nothing but diamonds when you look at the exquisite array of high jewellery on display. That’s really the point for one of the world’s leading jewellery brands that has built its name around acquiring and crafting pieces of jewellery with some of the largest and most beautiful diamonds in the world.

But I never realised that the focus on the diamonds goes even further – that all Graff creations are designed in such a way that all you see are the stones and almost none of the architecture that holds them together. Take a look at the iconic Graff tribal necklaces: these are a mesmerising collection of perfectly sized and graded diamonds – often including coloured gems – that seem to hang together as if by magnetic force. But, as I was to discover, there is mastery behind this magic.

Graff high jewellery is crafted not too far away from the maison’s New Bond Street boutique in an underground workshop somewhere in Mayfair, at an address that I’m not at liberty to share. It’s all very James Bond as you enter the premises through a very discreet black door and descend the circular staircase into a relatively small and functional underground jewellery workshop – if you compare it to the sheer grandeur that is produced there.

Sam Sherry is the man in charge of the London workshop. A gentle, unassuming artist in chinos and a sweater, he takes me on the guided tour and through the stages of production. From initial design to the finished piece, the Graff jewellery production process combines traditional handcraft by top goldsmiths and gem setters who give life to the designs with state-of-the-art technology that makes the impossible, possible.

What we don’t get to see is the first step in the creative process that happens when Laurence Graff, founder of Graff, sources the diamonds and head jewellery designer, Anné-Eva Geffroy, comes up with the grand designs, creating an impeccably detailed two-dimensional representation of how the final piece will look. The handpainted gouache image from the design team communicates the beauty, rhythm and feel to the craftsmen who will be tasked with bringing the design to life. The diamonds are then meticulously selected to complement the design. Each stone’s shape, cut and size, as well as the colour and clarity, has to work with the others to create the final dazzling effect.

The diamonds arrive in the Graff workshop – always an exciting moment, says Sam, as each and every design is different. The next step is an intriguing mix of the old and new where traditional gold-smithing techniques are used together with stateof-the-art machinery. At one worktable a technician is using a high-tech engraver to etch the Graff logo onto a diamond. Another is engraving wedding rings for a happy couple. Graff, engraving wedding rings? I’d never imagined there being the opportunity to add a personal touch when you’re talking high jewellery.

On to the jewellery benches where the goldsmiths create the mounts – the unique settings that hold each diamond securely in place – in white gold, according to the precise requirements of the design. The Graff magic means these mounts must remain as discreet as possible, allowing the diamonds to take centre stage. Once the mount is complete, it is pre-polished in the polishing workshop. Having been buffed, the metal structure is handed over to the diamond setter who secures it in white gold claws.

And if you’ve ever wondered why some diamonds seem to have extra sparkle, the answer lies in the articulations that link the diamond mountings. It’s this precise engineering that allows the diamonds, once set, to seemingly move and capture maximum play of light in order to sparkle when worn. Each necklace is fitted on a lifelike bust to ensure that the piece can move and fit the shape of the wearer’s neck to perfection. Sam says that at Graff, the feel of the jewellery on the wearer’s skin is as important as the look. And it is legend in this workshop that the back of a high jewellery piece is as beautiful as the front is.

There’s a lot of Graff branding too. Every diamond that is over 40 points is engraved with the Graff logo and each piece of gold carries this logo as well as the serial number. This impeccable attention to detail made a lot of sense recently, when a precious Graff bracelet was located on a beach in Dubai and could be reunited with its owner.

If I’m sounding like I was a little over-awed by my Graff workshop experience, it’s because I really was. At one stage of the tour, I was handed two stunning pieces of a diamond-crusted bangle that were about to be joined together. The literal brilliance of the sparkling beauty in my hands actually brought tears to my eyes, and I had to look away before completely embarrassing myself. It’s not the response I had expected, but then I’d never believed in magic. ■