Diamonds, as they say, are forever. Formed over millions of years under immense heat and pressure under the earth, diamonds are a rare, precious miracle of nature. The London House of GRAFF is one jeweller that fully appreciates, understands and harnesses these wonders to create exquisite jewels.
The brand, founded by Laurence Graff OBE in 1960, is famed for the utter perfection and beauty of its diamonds. Graff, the man, is a diamantaire who is considered to have acquired, cut, polished, and worked with perhaps the greatest number of important, historic diamonds.
This pursuit of beauty, and an unceasing emphasis on the finest gemstones, is at the heart of the house. The diamantaire’s art of cutting and polishing a gemstone, for instance, is expressed in the aptly named Laurence Graff Signature collection. Rather than a monogram or logo motif, GRAFF has instead dedicated its signature collection to a contemporary, graphic visual cue inspired by the facets of a cut diamond.
The result is simultaneously simple yet hypnotic. The angular, mirror-polished surfaces of Laurence Graff Signature designs reflect and play with light aplenty. The idea is to imbue precious 18-carat gold with the dazzle and reflectiveness of diamonds, and assert how perfect, precise cutting and polishing can reveal beauty.
A big part of the appeal of the Laurence Graff Signature collection lies in its stylistic versatility. Because it is so geometric, architectural and abstract, the designs are entirely genderless and can be layered and worn in a modern way.
Among its core styles are elegant bangles and rings that stack exceedingly well together. The collection is offered in white, yellow and rose gold; and with a range of options from plain solid gold, pavé diamonds on single or alternating facets, and—naturally—full pavé diamonds. The designs with diamonds, unsurprisingly, add a potent dose of light and scintillation.
GRAFF’s Butterfly collection, meanwhile, expresses a more delicate, tender side of diamonds. Butterflies, which have long featured in GRAFF designs, embody transformative beauty and freedom. It’s an intriguing mirror of aesthetic qualities: the natural allure of gemstones and butterflies both, as well as the temporality of these creatures crystallised in timeless diamonds.
The Butterfly collection is expressed in three different lines. In Butterfly Silhouette, delicate forms are outlined with round diamonds, paired with arrangements of marquise-cuts and pavé clusters, and mounted on angles so that the butterfly motifs appear to dance when they are worn.
In the Pavé Butterfly line, the body of a butterfly is rendered with a marquise diamond and wings made of pavé clusters in single or triple butterfly compositions. The craftsmanship of GRAFF shines in the details: the pavé round diamonds are set with a minimum of mirror-polished white gold ‘beads’ so that there is a dazzling, kaleidoscopic effect when light hits the gemstones.
But perhaps the purest expression of exquisite diamond jewel design can be found in the Classic Butterfly line. Here, the butterfly motif is formed from a strikingly simple combination: two pairs of marquise and pear shape diamonds that make up the wings. The brilliant purity of this minimalist design allows the diamonds to shine at their fullest. To craft these jewels, GRAFF carefully selects and matches pairs of diamonds so that each butterfly motif is elegantly and perfectly formed—an ode to allure and beauty just as nature intends.
Hair Ken Hong
Make-up Vic Hwang
Manicure Ann Lim using Shellac from CND
Photographer’s assistant Dennis Er
Stylist’s assistant Nurul Firdousee
Model Mae/Mannequin
The April 2025 ‘Movement’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available to pre-order online.
