Laurence Graff

About Laurence Graff

Birth Day: June 13, 1938
Birth Place: Gstaad, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Birth Sign: Cancer
Residence: Gstaad, Switzerland
Occupation: Businessman and jeweller
Years active: 1953–present
Spouse(s): Anne-Marie Graff

Laurence Graff Net Worth

Laurence Graff was born on June 13, 1938 in Gstaad, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Diamond king Laurence Graff built his business from nothing, after dropping out of school at age 14 and scrubbing toilets as a jeweler's apprentice in London's Hatton Garden. Now he operates at the top of the diamond jewelry market. Clients have included Elizabeth Taylor, the Sultan of Brunei, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and Larry Ellison. In 2008 he achieved full vertical integration when he bought a stake in publicly traded diamond miner Gem Diamonds. His son Francois serves as CEO of Graff Diamonds International and Graff is chairman. His assets include a polished diamond trading venture in Switzerland, real estate in London's tony Mayfair district, and a stake in a South African diamond wholesaler. He splits his time between homes in Gstaad, London, Cap Ferrat, St. Tropez, New York City and his 150-foot Feadship yacht. He also owns Delaire Graff Estate, a vineyard and winery with a boutique hotel and restaurant in Stellenbosch, the Napa Valley of South Africa. His modern and contemporary art collection is worth more than $600 million and he collects vintage cars, including period Ferraris, Aston Martins and Mercedes. His company continues to expand with more than 50 stores worldwide.
Laurence Graff is a member of Fashion and Retail

💰Laurence Graff Net worth: $3.4 Billion

2009 $2.2 Billion
2010 $2.5 Billion
2011 $2.5 Billion
2012 $2.6 Billion
2013 $4.3 Billion
2014 $4.8 Billion
2015 $5 Billion
2016 $4.6 Billion
2017 $4.6 Billion
2018 $5.6 Billion

Some Laurence Graff images

Biography/Timeline

1938

Graff was born in Stepney in 1938 into a Jewish family, the son of a Romanian mother, Rebecca Segal, and a Russian Father, Harry Graff. His Father made suits off the Commercial Road while his mother ran a tobacconist and newsagents. His brother Raymond was born in 1947.

1960

In 1960, he founded the Graff Diamonds company. In 1966 he commissioned the English jewellery-designer Robert Thomas to design a Diamond jewel to enter into the De Beers Diamond International Awards competition. The ribbon bracelet created won the competition. By 1974, he had begun specialising in selling to newly rich buyers from the Middle East. In particular, he supplied many jewels for Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, who became a lifelong client and friend. One day, Prince Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud walked into the shop and bought everything including a 14 carat Diamond. Graff has expanded his company, with over 35 stores in US, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

1962

In 1962, he married Anne-Marie Graff, who is French. They have three (now grown up) children: Francois, Kristelle and Stephane. They reside in Switzerland.

2008

In 2008, Graff purchased the Wittelsbach Diamond for £16.4 million, a considerable premium over the £9 million guide price. Almost two years later, Graff revealed he had had three Diamond cutters repolish the stone to eliminate the chips and improve the clarity, reducing the Diamond from 35.52 carats (7.104 g) to 31 carats (6.2 g). This action has been compared by critics to making the Mona Lisa prettier. However, according to gemologist Richard W. Wise, "At a cost of only 4.45 carats the recut and renamed Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond has been raised from a GIA grade of Fancy Deep Grayish Blue to a Fancy Deep Blue. Its clarity grade has been likewise elevated from VS2 to Internally Flawless (IF). This is a substantial upgrade." Further, the "Graff recut retained the original double stellate brilliant facet pattern thus retaining the overall look of the original stone."

2013

Graff was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to the jewellery industry.