Graff: bridal romanticism at its finest

The House of Graff weaves tradition, history and unparalleled craftsmanship into its bridal jewellery collection

The tradition of wearing an engagement ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to the ancient Romans, who believed that the vein running through this finger – known in Latin as vena amoris, or “the vein of love” – leads directly to the heart. Some 2,000 years later, bridal jewellery continues to symbolise enduring love, everlasting commitment and the marking of a new chapter in life. At Graff, it also tells the story of an esteemed jewellery house and its relentless quest for perfection.

When Laurence Graff OBE founded the House of Graff in 1960, engagement rings were the core product offering and remain so today. Not only does each Graff engagement ring showcase the house’s signature stone-led craftsmanship but it also features the finest diamonds, each hand-selected by a member of the Graff family using expertise that has been passed down through generations.

While each engagement ring is individually designed and crafted to honour the unique personality of the centre stone, Graff’s seven signature settings are inspired by the famous and celebrated stones that have played an important role in the history of the house.

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They include the Icon, featuring a captivating pavé diamond halo surrounding the central stone, which honours the spectacular 90.97-carat D Flawless round Icon diamond cut and polished by the house in 2000, and the Flame, with a vibrant diamond pavé band that symbolises the “remarkable fire” captured within the 100-carat D Flawless pear-shape Flame diamond.

Other settings range from the Constellation, which celebrates the first D Flawless round diamond to exceed 100 carats and is available as a single stone setting framed by a single or double halo of pavé stones, to the Paragon, named for the unique 137.82-carat Paragon D Flawless diamond and featuring a slender band that tapers to a mesmerising solitaire diamond.

The Legacy, featuring a signature parted diamond pavé band to maximise the light dancing within the centre stone, was inspired by Letšeng Legacy, a remarkable 493-carat rough diamond discovered in the African kingdom of Lesotho. The Laurence Graff Signature setting celebrates the hypnotic beauty of a diamond’s facets and the founder’s lifelong passion for the enigmatic beauty of the world’s finest diamonds.

Among the most enduringly popular of Graff’s engagement rings, the Promise setting has been reimagined to maximise the play of light through the diamonds and to celebrate the jeweller’s latest campaign featuring the real-life love story of High Jewellery muse and supermodel Grace Elizabeth and her husband, German footballer Nicolas Krause. Having married in secret two years ago, Grace Elizabeth is sharing her bridal story for the first time ever with Graff alongside a tropical-island photo shoot.

It’s a fitting tribute to the Promise setting, which is designed to deftly guide the eye to the extraordinary beauty of a central solitaire diamond and honours the 603-carat Lesotho Promise rough diamond that was cut and polished by Graff to reveal the Lesotho Promise Collection of 26 magnificent diamonds. Formed over millions of years before being cut with astonishing dexterity, precision and patience, a Graff diamond in any setting is quite simply the ultimate gesture of everlasting love.

Also see: Graff: Revealing “Graffabulous”, an extraordinary gemstones collection