Geneva – A London billionaire, owner of Graff Diamonds Ltd and jewel dealer known as the King of Bling Tuesday cracked the world record price for a single jewel, laying out 46.2 million dollars for a rare pink diamond at Sotheby’s Geneva.
Laurence Graff, in his early 70s, last made headlines in 2008, when he bought the four-century-old Wittelsbach Diamond for 24.3 million dollars – then pared off 4.5 carats from the 35.5 carat jewel to improve its looks.
The pink diamond purchased Tuesday weighs 24.78 carats. Four bidders competed for the gem, Sotheby’s said. The seller, who had owned it for 60 years, remained anonymous.
Sotheby’s said the night’s jewel auction also broke the record for a jewelry auction, bringing in a total of 105 million dollars.
Graff immediately named the emerald-cut jewel ‘The Graff Pink’ – for what was called its ‘exceptional colour and purity.’
‘It is the most fabulous diamond Ive seen in the history of my career and Im delighted to have bought it,’ Graff said in a Sotheby’s statement.
Graff was dubbed King of Bling in a 2007 Forbes magazine profile that described his ‘gritty’ origins growing up with a single mother who was a shopkeeper in London’s East End. His first job was an apprentice in a jeweler’s shop. The work included scrubbing floors.
Since then, he has built a vertically-integrated gem supply business, with a strong stake in a South African diamond company that gives him control of the product from the mine through the cutting stage and on to the retail floor.
His customers have included royalty and US real estate mogul Donald Trump, Forbes wrote.
Best Regards-M.f.g-Saludos-v.h
Stefan Katafai
President@Agent4Stars.com
+34 637 97 37 42
http://www.Agent4stars.com
Plaxo Facebook YouTube Facebook LinkedIn
