GRAFF FASHION AND WATCHES ARE UNTIMELY TIME. She survived all the revolutions, economic crises and the impact of fleeting trends - because healthy traditionalism is always in high esteem. Text: Igor Shevkun
Nothing to hide
Such an event happens once in a lifetime. For the first time in its history, the famous Graff Jewelry House has released a collector's edition - a book called "Graff" of coffee table book format (272 pages) from Rizzoli. From it you can learn a lot of new and unexpected about the life and career of the patriarch of the jewelry business Lawrence Graff, about the history, plans of the company, jewelry and star clients of the House. Another of the book’s “tricks” is photographs of the famous Graff collections: Diamonds on Diamonds, Butterfly, Waterfall, Chandelier, the Hair and Jewel advertising campaign, where the model humbly poses with a super tall hairdo, into which Graff jewelry worth $ 500 million is woven. By the way, photos of the process of creating a necklace with 26 diamonds from a 603-carat Lesotho Promise diamond are not so simple: these pictures were chosen because the necklace became a symbol of design excellence. Five pluses complement the book "Graff" and exclusive photographs from the personal photo archive of Lawrence Graff and his family in London, which until now have been a mystery behind seven seals, as well as rare photographs of his eldest son Francois Graff, current CEO of Graff.
It is known that recognized watch and jewelery experts had a hand in creating the Graff collector's edition: Susie Menkes, editor of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, journalist, author of books on the history of jewelry design Vivien Becker, and editor of the Jewelery Editor website, dedicated to jewelry and watches, Maria Dulton . Readers barely have time to catch their breath after the opening remarks by Suzy Menkes, articles by her workshop colleagues and interviews with Lawrence Graff himself, as all the attention is captured by the material of the curator of the three royal jewelry exhibitions Nina Khald, articles by the author of the Daily Telegraph Luxury Magazine and BBC Antiques Roadshow Joanna Hardy and the editor Vanity Fair by Nicholas Foulkes and, finally, literary essays by writer Joanne Harris (Chocolate, Tea with Birds).
You won’t be bored! “It's a cube of sunlight placed in gold that I wear on a beautiful chain around my neck,” Johann Harris poetically writes of Delaire Sunrise, the world's largest yellow diamond weighing 118.08 carats. “This is the color of happiness, springtime and first love “It all lives in one stone, like a genie in a bottle.” Not surprisingly, Graff's jewelry is associated with the color of a yellow daffodil and the fragrance Eau Sauvage, which combines citrus notes with pine chords. According to the Englishwoman Harris herself, Graff gems reflect the textures and tastes of the confectionery from her childhood, where the sun in an instant turned the sparkling dishes into a kaleidoscope of plenty. It turns out that Harris seems to be a princess, but she is quite capable of giving herself Graff jewelry and, unlike the heroine Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Vacations", knows what money is. In general, the voyage through the pages of the book "Graff" promises to be unforgettable.
Iron principles
The main idea of the new brainchild of Graff is charity. On this occasion, all proceeds from the sale of the book "Graff" (1 copy costs 65 pounds) will go to the FACET fund (Africa's Children Every Time), created in 2008 with the support of Lawrence Graff himself. A nonprofit organization that educates and educates children and communities in Africa, where Graff finds gemstones, cuts and polishes diamonds. Most recently, the FACET charity foundation launched new projects for children in Lesotho (here the Jewelry House produces the largest diamonds), in the Republic of Botswana (Graff polishes lots of diamonds up to 20 thousand carats per month) and in South Africa. It was here that the FACET Foundation opened an out-of-school club for children with a mobile library and computer programs that help develop mathematical knowledge, literacy and computer skills, while struggling with a low level of socio-economic development. The general policy of the FACET Foundation is to educate young people from 12 to 25 years old in various life skills in order to use them for career growth. The organization provides them with reliable support and advice.
But charity is not Graff's only addiction. Over the past decades, the Jewelry House has been participating in exhibitions that are furnished with its proper splendor. Contributing to the affirmation of the name Graff as a status brand that has long outgrown the mere name of the Jewelry House, from February 23 to 27, 2016, Doha Jewelery & Watches Exhibition in Doha (Qatar) will present necklaces and earrings in white gold with diamonds from the Rosette and Carissa collections, sculpted platinum earrings with Bombe emeralds, Graff Icon pear-shaped pendants, Infinity earrings, where sapphires sparkle with splashes of sea waves, and many other Graff hits. Incidentally, in Doha, the Graff Pavilion is considered the epicenter of social life. Its elegant coziness serves as a wonderful backdrop for new jewelry and watch collections that leave no one indifferent and invariably become the main bestsellers of the season every year. Experience the magic of wonderland Graff!
