Origin of name
The name "Imperial Blue" selected for the diamond by its
owner Laurence Graff, seems to reflect the exceptional color, clarity and
cut of this rare diamond, worthy of being part of a collection of jewels
belonging to an emperor or monarch.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The "Imperial Blue" diamond is a 39.81-carat,
pear-shaped, fancy blue diamond with an internally flawless (IF) clarity
grade, and it is perhaps the largest flawless fancy blue diamond in the
world. In the list of known notable blue diamonds in the world the
"Imperial Blue" diamond occupies the 3rd position. See table below.
List of famous blue
diamonds
|
S/N |
Name |
carat weight |
color |
|
1 |
Hope diamond |
45.52 |
fancy dark grayish blue |
|
2 |
Tereschenko |
42.92 |
fancy blue |
|
3 |
Graff Imperial Blue |
39.81 |
fancy blue |
|
4 |
Wittelsbach |
35.56 |
fancy intense blue |
|
5 |
Sultan of Morocco |
35.27 |
fancy grayish blue |
|
6 |
The Blue Heart |
30.82 |
fancy intense blue |
|
7 |
The Heart of Eternity |
27.64 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
8 |
Transvaal Blue |
25.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
9 |
The Blue Empress |
14.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
10 |
The Begum Blue |
13.78 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
11 |
The Blue Magic |
12.02 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
12 |
Graff Blue |
6.19 |
fancy blue |
The "Imperial Blue" diamond is a rare Type IIb diamond in
which the blue color is caused by the presence of trace quantities of boron
impurities in the crystal structure of the diamond. Boron is an element that
has an atomic size comparable to carbon atoms, and therefore can be easily
accommodated in the diamond crystal made up of carbon atoms. The presence of
boron also imparts a semi-conducting property to blue diamonds, which is
unique when compared to other diamonds which are usually non-conducting.
However blue diamonds are very rare in nature because their occurrence is
less than 0.1 % of all naturally occurring diamonds. It is said that in the
Premier Diamond Mines of Transvaal, South Africa, only one significant blue
diamond, is mined every year out of all the rough production of diamonds in
these mines for an year. This indicates the rarity of occurrence of blue
diamonds.
History
Diamonds are found in Guinea in the Macenta and Areodor
districts of the Provinces of Malenka and Sousson. The Areodor mines in
Guinea has produced some significantly large diamonds, like the Mouawad
Magic diamond, discovered in 1991 and weighing 244.6 carats. Guinea produces
a substantial quantity of diamonds every year but not as high as its
neighbors Liberia and Sierra Leone. Since 1984 there has been a boost
in production of diamonds in Guinea, and most of the diamonds produced are
excellent gem-quality grade.
The Imperial Blue diamond was discovered in Guinea in
recent years from alluvial deposits. The rough diamond weighed 101.50
carats, and was kept in the custody of Government officials until suitable
buyers could be found for it. Finally the Government decided to dispose of
the rough diamond by a sort of tender, calling for written bids from a group
of selected international buyers who were invited for the auction. Lawrence
Graff, the owner of the London-based company Graff Diamonds, a renowned
international jewelry and gem dealer, was one of those dealers who had the
privilege of being invited for this auction. Graff who is said to be a
"merchant of brilliants" and a "brilliant merchant" is one of a rare breed
of diamond dealers who has the ability to recognize instinctively the
potential of a stone in its rough form. Graff inspected the diamond
before the auction and was convinced of its potential to produce an
exceptional quality blue diamond when cut and polished. He submitted a
written bid for the diamond without any hesitation, but was marginally
outbid by another dealer.
Graff did not loose hope, and having been convinced of
the potential of the stone he monitored its progress at every stage of the
cutting and polishing process in the hands of a master cutter, who gradually
eliminated all imperfections and inclusions in the rough stone, sacrificing
a major portion of the original rough weight of the stone, until it emerged
as a 39.81-carat, flawless, pear-shaped diamond of exceptional color. In the
processing of diamonds there is always an inevitable loss of quantity in
attempting to maximize for quality. Graff initiated negotiations with the
owner of the diamond and was finally successful in acquiring the rare
diamond. He then set the stone in a platinum ring and unveiled the diamond
to the world. The diamond was sold within 48 hours of leaving his workshop
to an anonymous buyer.
Laurence Graff four-time
recipient of the Queen's Award for enterprise in International trade.
The House of Graff is one of the leading companies in the
world today dealing in high-end diamond jewelry, and was founded by Laurence
Graff, the "King of Diamonds," who is said to have had a passion for
diamonds from an early age. The company is involved in all stages of the
diamond industry, beginning with mining, followed by cutting and polishing,
manufacturing of exquisite fine jewelry and finally marketing of the
products through a network of outlets in leading cities of the world such as
New York, London, Moscow, Geneva, Monte Carlo and Dubai.
In South Africa Graff has a subsidiary company going by
the name of South African Diamond Corporation (SAFDICO), which is involved
in mining activities in South Africa, Botswana and other African Countries.
Graff has diamond processing factories in New York,
Antwerp, Johannesburg, and Mauritius. The New York and Antwerp workshops
specialize in the processing of large diamonds and are manned by highly
experienced cutters headed by master cutters. The Johannesburg and Mauritius
factories besides specializing on the processing of smaller diamonds also
have workshops that set the diamonds into Graff's iconic jewelry. The largest
of these factories is in Johannesburg which employs over 300 craftsmen and
processes over tens of thousands of diamonds weighing thousands of carats
each year. Today Graff is the largest producer of polished diamonds in South
Africa.
The workshop in London is the largest in-house workshop
for handmade fine jewelry in the world, which employs 70 skilled and
experienced craftsmen turning out magnificent handmade jewelry for all the
Graff outlets.
The success story of Graff is not an overnight
achievement. It is the story of the entrepreneurial spirit of an individual
with humble beginnings, who ventured into his chosen profession when he was
barely 15 years old, having dropped out of school. He installed a bench in
his bedroom, and began to turnout and repair simple and inexpensive pieces
of jewelry. By the age of seventeen Graff had his own business. He had
mastered the art of making jewelry from the beginning to the end during his
early years of working at the jeweler's bench. He had now turned out enough
pieces of jewelry, but had no clients to buy them. Thus he was forced to go
out on the road to sell his jewelry, and went from shop to shop peddling his
wares. It is said that he peddled rings for £3 in London's East End during
his early days as an apprentice. His business gradually grew and he started
supplying shops as demand for his jewelry also gradually rose. With more
successes the business expanded and he ventured out into the world holding
his first exhibition of jewelry in Singapore, which turned out to be
decisive, as he was able to clinch several orders to supply shops in
Singapore as a wholesaler.
The diamond set jewelry he sold to the trade at the
beginning consisted of smaller stone of 1 to 5 carats in size. The first big
diamond he purchased was a 14-carat, off color, round brilliant, for which
he paid about £ 200. Gradually the stones got bigger and bigger and he
purchased entire collections of newly polished stones, which he presented as
exquisitely handcrafted solitaires. Graff's company eventually became
the largest manufacturing company in Great Britain and in 1972 Graff decided
to go public on the stock market, and embark on the retail business. One of
his first retail stores was set up in London near Harrods Departmental
Store, and was a great success. The store was patronized by affluent
customers from the middle east which included customers from several
Arab Royal families.
The climax of his career came in 1973, when Graff became
the first jeweler in Great Britain to receive the Queen's award for
enterprise in international trade. Graff also became the first jeweler to
have received the same award on multiple occasions from the Queen, when in
October 2006, he received the award for the fourth time.
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