King of bling

There is a story that Singapore has a special place in Laurence Graff's heart. As a young entrepreneur, he was passing through the city when he met a friend who had been tasked to set up a jewellery section in a local department store. Mr Graff happened to be carrying a briefcase of gems at the time that he was trying to sell, and the friend ended up taking them as stock for the store. They sold out, and became one of the many stories that led to the now 57-year-old jeweller cementing his position as 'king' of the diamond world.

He's come a long way from his early start as a 16-year-old apprentice to starting his own business at the age of 22 and now, as the chairman of Graff Diamonds with his CEO son Francois, presiding over more than 50 stores worldwide, with one in Singapore opening recently.

The senior Mr Graff built a solid reputation in this business by obtaining, cutting and polishing large diamonds. To ensure a steady supply of the best quality, he acquired a stake in the South African Diamond Corporation (Safdico) in 1998, which subsequently bought land in Botswana, where he built the Diamond Technology Park in 2008. Recognising Botswana's role in the diamond industry, he was able to connect and control every facet of the industry through the park. According to him,"If you want to be successful with diamonds, you have to get as close to them as possible."