Graff once again cements its leadership in the cutting and polishing of the world’s biggest diamonds. Having cut and polished over half of the 20 biggest stones discovered this century, Graff now presents the Graff Venus, the biggest D Flawless heart-cut diamond in the world. Weighing in at 118.78 carats, the finished cut and polished stone is over 18 months in the making, from the discovery of the 357-carat rough stone at the Letšeng mine in Lesotho to its certification, analysis, cutting and polishing.
From the very first analyses of the rough stone, Laurence Graff saw under the loupe the potential to write a new chapter in the history of diamonds. The colour was exceptional, the clarity and quality of the highest level. Having acquired the rough stone, which was in itself no easy task, the team of gemologists at Graff set about creating an exact digital replica of the rough stone to explore the possibilities for cutting. After several months of work, the stone was ready to be cut and polished.
Because the size of the diamond was without precedent, Graff even had to develop a bespoke tool for precision cutting. With this final hurdle overcome, Graff produced a 118.88-carat stone which was sent to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for evaluation. The GIA classified the stone as Internally Flawless (because of a small mark on one of the cleaving planes), but this was not enough for Laurence Graff, who was looking for absolute perfection. He therefore insisted on repolishing the stone and, after several weeks, the refinished stone, at 118.78 carats, was certified D Flawless by the GIA. It also obtained the highest-ever classification for a diamond: Excellent cut, excellent symmetry and no flouresence. For Laurence Graff, the Graff Venus is quite simply “the most incredible and magnificent diamond that I have ever seen”.
As a happy by-product of the process a further 22 stones were produced, ranging from 15.01 carats down to 0.5 carats. “The Graff Venus presented us with a unique opportunity and I am proud to say that we have created absolute perfection,” concludes Laurence Graff.
