Laurence Graff
Laurence Graff | |
---|---|
Born | jeweller | 13 June 1938
Years active | 1953–present |
Spouse | Anne-Marie Graff (divorced) |
Children | 5 |
Laurence Graff
Early life
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.[1][2][3] His brother Raymond was born in 1947.[citation needed]
Career
Encouraging her son to learn a trade, Graff's mother enrolled him onto a jewellery manufacturing workshop in London,
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
Graff was appointed
According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2020, Graff and his son Francois had a combined personal net worth of £3.785 billion.[8]
Re-cut of the Wittelsbach Diamond
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Wittelsbach_diamond%2C_before_beeing_recut_by_Graff.png/220px-Wittelsbach_diamond%2C_before_beeing_recut_by_Graff.png)
In 2008, Graff purchased the
Personal life
In 1962, Graff married Anne-Marie, who is
Graff holds a 60% stake in the business through Graff Diamonds Corp., a Cayman Islands-based holding company.[13] The remainder is held in the name of his ex-wife, Anne-Marie.[13] Graff is credited with her stake because he controls the company's operational and strategic decisions and founded the company.[13]
British newspapers reported that Graff had been having an affair with 37-year-old jeweller Josephine Daniel, who gave birth to his daughter in July 2009,[13] and later to a second child.[14]
Graff has five children, and lives in Gstaad, Switzerland.[5]
Graff is an art collector, his earlier interest was paintings of impressionism, and later contemporary art. Graff purchased Andy Warhol’s 'Liz' for $12.6 million.[15][16]
References
- ^ a b Adams, Susan (13 August 2007). "King of Bling: Laurence Graff". forbes.com. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
- ^ "The multifaceted Laurence Graff". Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ Un bijutier de origine română şi-a construit un imperiu al pietrelor preţioase. În 2015 el a uimit lumea cu bijuteriile sale scumpe, 31 December 2015, Alina-Elena Vasiliu, Ziarul financiar, Retrieved at 30 December 2016
- ^ "Laurence Graff". Interview Magazine. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "Forbes profile: Laurence Graff & family". Forbes. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Laurence Graff, chairman, Graff", The New York Times, 8 February 2010
- ^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 11.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Bavaria considers bid to bring mysterious Wittelsbach diamond home". The Times, 7 November 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2010
- ^ Emma Jacobs. (25 January 2010). "A diamond geezer made good". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ "The Wittelsbach; All tarted up and ready to sell". Rwwise.com.
- ^ "Laurence Graff". Alain Elkann Interviews. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". bloomberg.com. 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ISBN 9781925575262. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Laurence Graff". Interview Magazine. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 January 2023.