Words: Charlie Thomas
Laurence Graff OBE is a self-made man worth an estimated $4.8 billion, and the founder and Chairman of Graff Diamonds.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background in the East End?
At the age of 15 I started work as an apprentice at Schindler’s workshop in Hatton Gardens, learning my craft at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. After three months I was told by my employer that I would never make the grade, that I had no future in the jewellery industry. I didn’t give up, but moved on with more determination to succeed.
At this early stage in my career I learnt the importance of self-belief and of trusting one’s instincts. I have always been fascinated by diamonds. When I first started working in the industry I remember looking at them, studying them closely to understand their purity and the way they had been cut and crafted. Without realising it, I was becoming a self-taught gemmologist and I truly believe that this is what I was born to do. It was an inherent feeling that turned in to a lifelong passion.
What prompted you to go out to Asia, how quickly did you start to attract important clients and did it come as a surprise?
When I first started Graff, I decided to take my designs out in to a wider world of opportunity and adventure. In the 60’s I travelled to Singapore and was directed to Raffles Place, the heart of the shopping district in the centre of town, where the Malaysian aristocracy met and socialised.
On my way to the hotel I walked in to Robinson’s department store. One of the managers caught sight of me; he was someone I worked with back in England where he managed a small store in Newcastle. He was in the process of starting a jewellery department at Robinson’s and didn’t have any stock. I showed him my samples and told him about my business, but he was concerned that there wasn’t enough in my case to stock the whole department.
I asked him for seven days, assuring him that I could go back to London immediately and return with more pieces. I did just that, staging a two week long exhibition where I sold almost every piece I displayed, it was a huge success and from then onwards I returned frequently, putting on further exhibitions. This stroke of luck was the first of many throughout my career; however, hard work, passion and the desire to be the best are also incredibly important factors for success.
If you had to pick out one bit of advice for the young entrepreneurs of today, what would that be and why?, , My personal philosophy is that every day is a new day, and that with the new day there always new opportunities. I have the same passion and desire for diamonds as I did when I first started in the industry. I truly believe that I am the luckiest man in the world, because I see the diamonds every day. They are a huge part of my life.
Interview and words by Harry Jarman. Read the full interview in our Summer print or digital issue by subscribing here.
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