Round brilliant diamonds are the cornerstone of the fine jewellery industry today. Many collectors invest in stones that belong to the 'magic sizes' of 1, 2, 2.5 or even 5 carats. To those of you who've been to some of the most prestigious jewellery fairs across different continents, perhaps you may have even seen larger stones being exhibited by many of the international design houses.

Jewelry auctions however, tend to showcase those rare exceptional stones that come around once in a lifetime. Just a few years back, Sotheby's released such a stone that made headlines across nearly every jewelry news portal. The unveiling of a 102.34 carat natural round brilliant diamond.

The stone was a colorless gem with no clarity characteristics, and was touted to be the largest D-flawless round brilliant cut diamond in the world at the time. Its exceptional quality made it even more rare and sought after by thousands of luxury collectors.

The original rough came from Botswanna, a locality very well known for diamond production. It weighed about 425 carats, and master cutters took over half a year to correctly create the finished cut stone from its material.

More rough diamond materials of high carat weight have also been unearthed since then. One of which in particular was acquired by Graff, and contained the potential for a new record-holder in this classic category.



In 2019, the recently unveiled 102.79 carat Graff Constellation was said to beat the previous record by a very narrow margin.

This stone was cut from the 'Light of Letseng' rough diamond originally found in Lesotho mines. It is now considered as the largest D-flawless natural round brilliant cut diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America at the date of this article.

The photo above depicts the said stone in the hand of Graff Chairman; Lawrence Graff- a pioneer in the global diamond retail trade, and an avid collector record-breaking precious gems.

Among all the fancy-cut shapes you'd normally hear about at auctions, it's sometimes quite interesting to see such a traditional or classic shape like the round brilliant, come in such large and elusive carat weights. One may wonder if any more will be unveiled at auctions in the years to come.

A few years back (2015), the Lesedi La Rona diamond had just been uncovered as the world's 2nd largest gem-quality diamond. Its given name translates to 'Our Light' in the local Tswana language- the 1,109 carat stone was found in Botswanna, a source that has become famous for the production of many large diamonds throughout history.



London-based jewelry icon Lawrence Graff purchased the diamond back in 2017 for about 53 million dollars. Since then, Graff has had 66 individually cut diamonds polished from the Lesedi La Rona, which initially close to the size of a tennis ball.



Last month, the largest cut stone was finally unveiled, weighing 302.37 carats. The faceted diamond was named the Graff Lesedi La Rona, maintaining the original stone's given name in part. The stone is now believed to be the largest 'square shaped emerald cut' diamond in existence. Mr. Graff commented in an article that their initial goal was to surpass the 300 carat mark for this stone, which was properly achieved by paying careful attention to the diamond as every procedure was being accomplished.



Prior to the release of this stone, many of the smaller diamonds cut from the original Lesedi La Rona had already been unveiled, possibly to give the public an impression into the diamond's slow journey towards the upper hierarchies of the jewelry world.

For the delightfully selective at heart, a jewelry piece represents more than just luxury. It pronounces itself as a form of personal art, expressing volumes about an individual's taste and style. Most would agree that this could even be likened to high fashion, tailoring beauty to suite the originalities of every client.




The major design houses around the world, purposefully select the gemstones they use for their jewelry. Established designers are always on the lookout for the very best gems in terms of quality, color and cutting grade. This creates the barrier between fine jewelry and commercial pieces. The latter represents jewelry that is merely 'there as is', or bought and sold in mass quantities.



Selecting a sapphire for example, allows one to determine how he or she would like to position the piece of jewelry with regards to current market levels. An unheated cornflower blue sapphire from Sri Lanka would be an exquisite choice for the centerpiece of a high-end sculptural ring. On the other hand, a suite of beryllium diffused orange sapphires may go well with a more affordable but classic channel-set men's ring.

Choosing the gemstones for your jewelry is a time-consuming, but rewarding activity that allows you to expand your breadth of appreciation for the craft. You get to play a part in the creation of something that may be passed down from generation to generation throughout the course of your family's history.

It's an act that does not have to be limited to the design houses alone, or to retailers. Individuals can look for their own stones, and select those separately to bring to a jewelry manufacturer somewhere else. This mixing of sources is sometimes also the best way to get the optimum returns for your budget (although other times it can also cost you more.)




Whether it's for someone else or your personal enjoyment, remember that nowadays people have an easier time finding loose gemstones to buy. The availability of high-end online merchants plus the access to several trade shows will give you a good reason to spend that extra time and effort in choosing that brilliant gemstone to set as the centerpiece of your jewelry.

Portugese supermodel Sara Sampaio is now the 'Green Lady' of Graff Diamonds. Sampaio, formerly a Victoria's Secret Angel, with an extensive work portfolio that collaborates with big names in fashion- such as GQ, Elle, Vogue and Glamour, has recently been cast as the new campaign face of the world famous diamond house.


In a dazzling ad campaign by the company, Sampaio showcases her natural flair and style in front of renowned photographer Patrick Demarchelier.


A Pair of 50 ct. emerald cut diamonds grace her ears, while she also flaunts a 35 ct. D-Flawless graded diamond ring. Each of the pieces, representative of the classic- yet magnificently large gemstones often portrayed by Graff.



In the past, Lawrence Graff has garnered a widespread following for being one of the world's most active bidders on the topic of giant diamonds. Last year, he purchased the 709-Carat 'Peace Diamond' For $6.5 million US dollars and acquired the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, from Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. (valued at 53 million dollars).


Gemcamp labs do not endorse or recommend any retailer, jeweller or brand. Our news and editorial articles are only for trade updates in both retail and wholesale societies.