Simply Abu Dhabi XIII

8 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I What do you lovemost about your job as Chief Executive Officer? Diamonds are beautiful to look at - and they are also rare and difficult to come by. I’m very lucky; I’m in a business where people don’t come to us because they have to buy something or because someone forces them to do so – people come here out of emotion and love. It could be a man buying something for his wife, girlfriend or daughter - or a woman celebrating the fact that she feels great that day. It’s always for wonderful reasons that our clients come into one of our stores. Diamonds are one of the few luxury products that have an intrinsic value – you can pass them onto your family. They are an investment and a fabulous thing to own. Can you tell us a little more about Graff’s vertical integration? We’re vertically integrated from the ground right through to the retail level, so we’re involved in every aspect of the process, from sourcing and cutting diamonds to selling jewels through our global store network. Vertical integration is a very important part of our business. In the late 1990s we went into the production of diamonds, so we have facilities in South Africa and Botswana, where we polish around 20,000cts of rough diamonds every month. The best of those diamonds come to our facilities in the UK, where they are transformed into jewellery. The more we expand our retail operations, the more we require the vertical integration that provides us with the flexibility we need to grow our business. What impact has Graff had on the global luxury jewellery sector? What do you believe is the secret behind creating a successful jewellery brand? The quality of stones we use and the level of craftsmanship imbued in every step of the jewellery making process – that’s what we have a worldwide reputation for and that’s what we work to uphold every day. We only use the finest quality stones available, based on colour, cut and clarity, and we are also known for our stones of especially rare size and important historical provenance. Our workshop and design studio are based in London, and every single piece is created by hand, from start to finish. The Graff brand is strong and it has become a household name for those in the upper echelons who want the very best products. 34.26 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow radiant cut diamond ring Floral Graff watch, set with diamonds and cabochon sapphires (Diamonds 2.53 cts, Sapphires 6.40 cts)