Who started it?
Laurence Graff was born in London's East End in 1938 to a Jewish Orthodox family. He began his career at the age of 15 as an apprentice in London's Hatton Gardens - historically considered the centre of London's diamond trade.
At 22, he launched his own diamond jewellery brand, Graff, but business was slow at first until he visited Singapore to take part in a jewellery exhibition. During this time he met some invaluable contacts - in particular, the then prince of Brunei and his wife, as well as a number of important jewellery collectors.
When the 70s oil boom occurred, his Brunei connection led him to many other wealthy Arab clients and his brand took off.
After having made a name for himself, Graff was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 1973, and opened his first jewellery store in Knightsbridge the following year.
In the two decades that followed, Graff focused his energy on sourcing and setting the largest and highest quality diamonds he could find. In 1993, he moved his London store to its current location on New Bond Street.