Graffiti Magazine

T h e G r a f f M a G a z i n e / W i n T e r 2 0 1 0

G R A F F I T I

EXCEPTIONAL dIAmONds THE POETIC ART OF Ed RUsCHA UNIqUE TImEPIECEsmONACO’s mAGIC LUXURy LOdGEs wORLd CLAss TRAvEL

PERFECT BRILLIANCE

L O D G E S & S P A

Tel: +27 (0)21 885 8160 · Email: [email protected]

HELSHOOGTE PASS, STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA

www.delaire.co.za

W i t h t h e e x p l i c i t p e r m i s s i o n

o f t h e r u s s i a n p r i m e m i n i s t e r

we glided into the arctic waters of provideniya Bay, the first non-russian

vessel to do so in 60 years. a converted army truck carried us inland,

where we shared a plate of bread, hot from the oven. and though we

hadn’t yet sampled the vodka, we were intoxicated.

for while we had begun our journey aboard the yacht as 100 neighbors,

we were now more than that. We had created history together.

three months later, Kate and i stand on our apartment balcony, watching

the shoreline get closer, recalling the surprising warmth of the locals, even

the soldiers.

and we renew our pledge to never forget that day. But the breeze coming off the water forces our

heads back to a more literal warmth, the kind you can only feel south of the equator…

Only 200 make the journey, which continues aboardtheworld.com | +1 954 573 2583

Residences at Sea

Gagosian Gallery represents Ed Ruscha

Ph

oto

© L

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lub

CONTENTS14 in the stars Vivienne Becker describes how two

remarkable diamonds, the Graff

Constellation and Delaire Sunrise,

became part of the Graff collection

34 haUte hOrOLOGY Simon

de Burton explores Graff’s stunning

timepiece collections, and finds the

elegant and distinguished watches

are acknowledged classics

56 MOnaCO MOn aMOUr

The principality on the Côte d’Azur

remains the epitome of European

style and luxury, a playground with

both history and an exciting future

20 POetrY Of art If a picture paints a thousand words, then the

Pop artist with the greatest longevity

writes extra chapters. Ben Lewis

talks to the great artist Ed Ruscha

38 View frOM the tOP

The exclusive Delaire Graff Estate,

set in the breathtaking beauty of

the South African winelands, opens

a spa and 10 luxurious private lodges

60 enChanteD eVeninG

The depth and reflection of the

world’s best diamonds, sapphires

and rubies ensure there’s brilliant

romance when the darkness falls

26 fLiGhts Of fanCY The finest white, yellow and blue

diamonds, crafted into exquisite

necklaces and earrings, adorn

nature’s magnificent plumes

46 sweet DreaMs Elegance abounds as the lady takes tea,

wearing delicately crafted

confections that are exquisite

examples of the jeweller’s art

72 hOPe taKes a LeaD The

work of the FACET charity expands

from its Graff Leadership Centre

in Lesotho to Botswana and South

Africa, sowing seeds of hope

14 26

34

38

46

Published for Graff by Show Media Ltd

1- Ravey Street, London EC A 4QP

+44 (0) 0 3 0101; www.showmedia.net

Editor Joanne Glasbey

Creative Director Ian Pendleton

Art Directors Jonathan Bailey, Dominic Bell

Managing Editor Katie Wyartt

Picture Editor Juliette Hedoin

Chief Sub-Editor Chris Madigan

Sub-Editors Sarah Evans, Gill Wing

Managing Director Peter Howarth

For Graff

Katherine Roach, Joanne Hill, Lily King,

Adam Norton, Jessica Lansley

Advertising Penny Weatherall and Katherine Roach at Graff

+44 (0) 0 7584 8571; [email protected]

Colour reproduction by FMG; www.wearefmg.com

Printing by Taylor Bloxham; www.taylorbloxham.co.uk

Cover photography Graeme Montgomery

Styling Annette Masterman

On the cover 0.0 ct Fancy Deep Blue Diamond ring

with pearshape Diamond shoulders (Diamonds .0 cts)

MATTHEW SHAvE; GRAEME MoNTGoMERy

09

Laurence Graff

Chairman of Graff Diamond Holdings

G raff is famous for the most beautiful diamonds and gems in the world. We are

constantly searching to find the finest stones, be it in rough or polished form. I am

proud to introduce our latest treasures; the Graff Constellation, the first DIF round

Diamond in the world to exceed 100cts, and the Delaire Sunrise, the largest square

emerald-cut Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond that has been certified by the GIA to date.

In this issue, Vivienne Becker describes the incredible story of these two exceptional

diamonds as they are carefully transformed from the rough to perfectly formed

diamonds by Graff’s master cutters.

A star of the art world I admire is Ed Ruscha, interviewed here by Ben Lewis, who describes

Ed’s career as having the feel of a road movie. His art invokes American icons and Pop Art, but is also

a philosophical investigation of the way images and words create meanings.

Monaco insiders know that, while there are other notable and desirable locations around the

globe, the royal principality’s effortless marriage of elegance and affluence has always reigned supreme.

Graff Monaco opened in the fabled and opulent Hôtel de Paris in April 2000; a decade on, Philip Watson

explores the principality’s enduring attraction. And speaking of the international set, we experience

owning a floating residence on board The World, as it sets its course for limitless exotic destinations.

Some destinations are more challenging, like in sub-Saharan Africa, where Graff gives its support

back to the countries where its diamonds are sourced by partnering with local charities. I’m pleased to

see the good work developing and expanding from the original Lesotho base to neighbouring countries

of Botswana and South Africa. Small seeds of hope are planted and we look forward to them blossoming.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Welcome to the latest edition of Graffiti magazine. At Graff, we are known for having the most fabulous jewels in the world, both in terms of quality

and importance. In this issue, Maria Doulton explores some of the diamonds that have passed through our doors, from centuries-old stones rich in

myth, magic and intrigue to more recently discovered breathtaking gems showcased throughout the pages of this magazine. We are excited to

unveil the new exquisite watch styles that have just been added to the impressive Graff Luxury Watch collection, including the Graff Galaxy watch,

our first jewellery-inspired Ladies watch, the GraffStar Grand Date which features the first movement made exclusively for Graff, and the

MasterGraff Tourbillon, our ultra-exclusive £1 million watch made in a very limited edition of five.

The panoramic Helshoogte Mountain Pass in Stellenbosch provides the backdrop for the Delaire Graff Estate, one of South Africa’s most

beautiful and exclusive wine estates. The newly opened Lodge and Spa, designed by David Collins completes the Delaire Graff Estate, making it

one of the most desirable destinations in the world. South Africa is quickly becoming a hotspot of contemporary art, and the Delaire Graff Estate

plays host to some of the best of this work, including such artists as internationally-renowned William Kentridge, Deborah Bell, Dylan Lewis and

Lionel Smit. Writer Ben Lewis investigates how each artist celebrates the heritage and mysticism of the country in their own distinct way, often

invoking the primitive and dream world.

As the developing world explodes with new luxury markets, Graff watches intently, with new stores opening in the Ukraine and Shanghai, our

first in China. Shanghai is the newly developed face of China, with its mix of old world traditions and modern glamour, and is explored by Nick

Fraser in Visions of China. With all the good that comes from new developments, it is of course important to remember where these luxuries come

from. At Graff, giving back to those who need it the most is a top priority, and the newly built Graff Leadership Centre in the beautiful yet troubled

land of Lesotho allows us to do so. There is hope for the future, as Maria Yacoob discovers, but it takes a global effort.

Beauty, Luxury and Giving are what we care about at Graff, join us on our journey.

I hope you enjoy the issue,

Laurence Graff

Chairman of Graff Diamonds

We are excited to unveil three new exquisite watch styles that have just been added to the impressive Graff Luxury Watch collection, including the

elegant GraffStar Grand Date, which features the first movement made exclusively for Graff.

IN THE STARS

TWO VERY IMPORTANT, RARE DIAMONDS WERE RECENTLY

UNVEILED BY GRAFF, REPORTS VIVIENNE BECKER. THESE

SPECTACULAR STONES ARE DESTINED FOR HISTORIC STATUS

Summer on the Riviera, sunshine, sizzle and super-

yachts; only this year, the famous light of the Côte

d’Azur is outshone by the radiance of two of the

world’s most ravishing diamonds. Unveiled by

Laurence Graff at the annual Graff Exhibition of Rare

Gems in Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris on 30 July, the

Graff Constellation Diamond and the Delaire Sunrise

Diamond take centre stage, bathed in their own limelight. Both

diamonds, mesmerising in scale and beauty, each over 100 carats,

are the largest of their cut and quality in the world today. ‘Anything

that Graff does,’ Laurence Graff has said, explaining his single-

minded mission to be the best, ‘has to be of top quality. We don’t go

for size, we go for quality every time.’ This time, however, Graff has

succeeded in matching quality with size in these two new staggeringly

superlative stones, doubtless destined for future historic status.

The Graff Constellation, 10 .79 carats, is the largest D-colour

internally flawless round brilliant-cut diamond in the world. ‘A

breathtaking stone, the definition of rarity,’ is Laurence Graff’s

15

description. ‘Perfect in shape, colour and clarity,

with unparalleled brilliance. When you look into the

Graff Constellation you see all the stars in the sky.’

The monumental and magnificent stone

comes from the Light of Letseng, 478 carats in the

rough, the 0th largest diamond ever discovered,

and the third significant find in the Letseng mine

in the Kingdom of Lesotho in as many years. The

Letseng mine is renowned for its yield of superb

diamonds of exceptional size, colour and clarity:

in 006, the Lesotho Promise, 603 carats, was

recovered there, followed a year later by the 493

carat Letseng Legacy, and then by the Light

of Letseng mined in September 008, all three

acquired by Graff Diamonds.

When the Light of Letseng was first

unveiled by the Kingdom of Lesotho, Laurence

Graff said he had an innate sense that this rough

would reveal a record-breaking diamond, and,

with his usual indefatigable determination, he

decided he absolutely had to own this exceptional

stone, eventually winning a tense bid tender in

Antwerp. At the time Graff stated, ‘To the best of

our knowledge, this is the most valuable rough

diamond ever to be sold.’

It took a year of intense study, painstaking

assessment and patient precision planning, with

fortnightly team meetings, before the Light of

Letseng was cut by Graff’s elite team of world-

class master diamond cutters. Examination had

revealed that in addition to a round diamond of

over 100 carats, the rough was capable of yielding

a cluster of other high-quality diamonds, including

a D flawless heartshape of over 50 carats. The

process of cutting a diamond of this magnitude

and potentially record-breaking significance

demands not only breathtaking skill, experience,

expertise and nerve but also imagination, sensitivity

and a Zen-like focus. ‘The greatest art form

in the world is the transition of a natural rough

crystal into a perfect polished diamond,’

comments Laurence Graff.

Flawless creativity The 10 .79 carat Graff Constellation, previous page, is the

largest diamond to come from the 478ct Light Of Letseng, top left. Computer

modelling, above, the imagination of Laurence Graff, top centre, and incredibly

precise cutting, top right, produced 10 diamonds from the original rough diamond

find another. I don’t know if we will ever surpass

the Constellation.’

A contrast in colour, shape and character,

a match in rarity and size, the Delaire Sunrise, at

118.08 carats is the largest Fancy Vivid Yellow

square emerald-cut diamond in the world. It was

cut from an astonishingly rare rough diamond of

1 carats, in a natural octahedral shape,

discovered in an alluvial mine in South Africa.

Beautiful and intriguing in its raw, natural state,

the stone exerted such a powerful magnetism

that, despite the potential risks and challenges,

Laurence Graff determined to preserve the perfect

form, a true miracle of nature, by transforming the

rough into a square emerald-cut diamond.

Finally, after a year of anticipation, the magical

Light of Letseng was successfully cleaved to

produce the world’s largest round brilliant, along

with nine other diamonds, including a 51. 0 carat

heartshape stone, all displayed at the Hôtel de

Paris in July. Looking deep into the hypnotic

round diamond, with its infinite unfolding light-

filled depths, Laurence Graff could see a thousand

stars. ‘I had been talking to the artist Ed Ruscha’s

wife about stars, saying that so many diamonds

are named after stars,’ he explains, ‘And she came

up with the idea of the Constellation.’

Consequently, the largest D colour flawless

round diamond that the world has ever seen was

named The Graff Constellation, and the nine

accompanying stones became scintillating

satellites. Laurence Graff muses on the rarity of

this extraordinary stone: ‘Ten years ago we

launched the Icon diamond there, in Monte Carlo.

At 90.97 carats, it was the largest D flawless round

diamond at the time, and it has taken 10 years to

For this audacious task, he chose his master

cutter, a renowned expert with an acute sensibility

and a talent edging on genius, Nino Bianco.

Bianco, who sadly died in 009, had a gift for

conjuring the most intense, melting hues from a

chunk of rugged rough. He spent months studying

the stone, planning the angles and facets to create

a poetry of precision that would maximise the

glorious colour of the stone. Again, the process

took a year, but was rewarded with a rich yellow

diamond with spectacular depth and light, with the

vibrant, warm tones of molten gold. Graff describes

it as ‘the finest example of the master cutter’s skill.

A diamond as breathtaking as the African sunrise.

The rarest of golden colours, full of life.’

The vision of an African sun rising over the

mountains prompted Graff to name the stone

after the newly revitalised Delaire Graff Estate in

the Stellenbosch Winelands, South Africa. Having

acquired the Delaire estate in 003, Graff has

turned it into a state-of-the-art winery, lodge and

‘the world’s greatest art

form is the transition of

a rough crystal into the

perfect polished diamond’

17

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spa, and a cultural centre filled with native South

African art from his own world-leading collection.

‘There is a synergy,’ he explains, ‘between this

magnificent diamond, an incredible work of art,

and the art centre that Delaire has become.’ A

copy of the diamond will be kept at the Delaire

Graff Estate.

The world, it seemed, was waiting for

these two awe-inspiring, eye-wateringly valuable

gemstones. The diamonds, each with its own

strong, individual personality, appear at a time of

impassioned connoisseurship among gemstone

and jewellery devotees and collectors around the

globe, when the quest for individuality, for the

rarest of the rare, has intensified, to a point of near

obsession, and when the diamond – immortal,

invincible, with eternal light – becomes the

ultimate possession, with a power beyond worldly

wealth, as it was for princes and potentates through

history. The Graff Constellation and the Delaire

Sunrise are diamonds that express the pinnacle

of new luxury, that speak to today’s discerning

clients who delve into the origins and meaning of

the stones, and want to be involved in their stories,

their creative process.

These are the clients who understand that

the two spectacular stones revealed in Monaco

are the latest in a long line of extraordinary

diamonds that have passed through Graff’s expert

hands; from historic diamonds, such as the Idol’s

Eye or the Wittelsbach-Graff, to the newly born

AFRICAN DAWN Discovered in an alluvial mine in South Africa and crafted by

the late, great master cutter Nino Bianco, the Delaire Sunrise, above, was so

named by Laurence Graff because its warm golden clarity reminded him of

early African mornings at the Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch, top

diamonds brought to life and light by Graff’s

unrivalled passion. The diamonds express Graff’s

courage and conviction, his flair and fearlessness

in seeking out the most fabulous gems in the

history of the world; the chances of finding and

bringing to market one, let alone two diamonds

of this size and quality are extraordinarily slim.

Laurence Graff is at pains to stress their extreme

rarity and indeed the scarcity of all fine diamonds,

the wondrousness of their journey through billions

of years, from the centre of the earth to glittering

prizes. ‘People don’t realise how rare they are, how

difficult to find, and how much craft goes into

cutting and polishing.’

The Graff Constellation and the Delaire

Sunrise are also stones that mark their moment in

time, through the fact of their discovery, in modern

South Africa; as well as through the excellence of

their cutting and polishing, setting new standards

of quality and precision. ‘Stones were never

finished to the same quality, to the same exacting

standards as today,’ says Graff. ‘Criteria today are

extremely high.’

The two divine diamonds – the purity and

lustrous brilliance of the white; the emotionally

stirring intense colour of the golden yellow – are

expressions of Graff’s own dedication to perfection.

He says, ‘Right from the start I have always tried

to excel and reach higher. The past 5 years have

been the best ever in diamond history. It’s an

exciting time.’

19

Ed Ruscha has spent much of his life painting

words (though that’s not all he paints, draws

and photographs). He’s made paintings of

famous logos like the Hollywood sign, and of

everyday phrases like ‘Not a bad world is it?’

and of strange puns like ‘Chili Draft’. When

I spoke to him, he had just found a nice new

combination of words. ‘Bliss Bucket,’ he says to me happily, ‘I like

that. It has a kind of fist-clenching strength to it. And I suppose

that’s pretty much it. It doesn’t have to be analysed necessarily;

it just stands for its own power. I forget where I heard it, if I ever

did. Maybe it came to me in a dream.’

Alongside Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rosenquist, and a few

others, Ed Ruscha is a leading member of the generation of

American Pop artists who came to prominence in the early Sixties.

Each worked on different materials in a different way. Warhol did

screenprints of celebs and newspaper photos, Lichtenstein focused

on comic strips, and Rosenquist worked in the style of billboards. Ed

Ruscha’s shtick was simple American words and icons, that always

0

with his depiction of californian life and witty juxtaposition

of phrases and images, the american artist ed ruscha

has been intriguing his audience for half a century

photography Laura Wilson | words Ben Lewis

Poetry of art

THe ArTisT’s sTudio ed ruscha, having just finished a painting at his studio

in Venice, california, in 006. round his neck is a mask to protect against the

fumes from his air spray paint gun

somehow seemed to be seen from a passing car.

In fact the whole of Ed Ruscha’s 50-year

career has the feel of a road movie. Born in 1937,

Ruscha studies fine art and commercial design

at the forerunner of the California Institute of

the Arts in LA in the late Fifties, while also working

as a typesetter. His artistic career begins,

appropriately, cruising city streets. He paints

flattened boxes of Sun-Maid raisins in 1961, as if

his tyres were squashing them into the Tarmac.

He paints the name of a cartoon strip character

‘Annie’ (196 ), and the word ‘Boss’ several times.

‘“Boss” was one of the first word paintings I did,

and I think that came about because there were

multiple meanings to that word,’ he recalls. ‘There

was one “Boss” which was someone you worked

for. “Boss” was also another way of saying “cool”

in 1959. People would say “Hey, that’s boss”.

And it was also the name of a clothing label for

workmen, for Levi’s and Boss was like a blue-collar

work clothes brand.’

Then Ruscha switches on his ‘Radio’

(1964), a painting in which the big hoarding-style

letters of the word are comically squeezed by

small workshop clamps. In 1966, Ruscha stops for

gas, producing one of his best known works, a

portrait of an American petrol station, ‘Standard

Station’. The angle is low, as if we have driven in

and are looking up through the windscreen. It’s

cleanly graphic, like an architectural drawing. This

picture is about an icon of post-war America, but,

the petrol station has become the basis for a flat

slice of constructivist geometry. Ruscha explains

simply: ‘I’m a combination of an abstract artist and

someone who deals with subject matter.’

As the years speed past, Ruscha produces

series after innovative series, using words but in

strikingly different ways. He makes influential

books of photographs in the Sixties, alongside

his paintings. Twentysix Gasoline Stations is a

revolutionary artist’s book which draws attention

to a random number of petrol stations on

American highways. He follows it with Every

Building on the Sunset Strip. Then come

swimming pools, parking lots and so on. Ruscha

seems to be searching for an emptiness of

meaning – something that looks like a book, and

feels like one, yet does not serve the purpose that

books had hitherto served.

Ruscha has a favourite road movie,

Vanishing Point, from 1971, in which Kowalski, a car

delivery service employee, drives an old Dodge to

San Francisco. He breaks the speed limit and the

cops give chase. Along the way he tunes into a

blind DJ with a police radio scanner, who helps

him evade capture. ‘He breaks the speed laws,’

Ruscha tells me, ‘so the law is after him and

somehow radio stations get hold of this guy that’s LAURA W

ILSON, ed RUSchA/gAgOSIAN gALLeRy

running from the law and he becomes a folk hero

for attempting to outrun the law. And it also had

a lot to do with just driving on the road, just what

I like to do.’

In the mid-Eighties, the artist finally hits

the open road, painting slogans such as ‘A

Particular Kind of Heaven’ against ironically

romantic sunsets. In later decades he heads up

into the mountains, writing odd phrases like ‘Baby

Jet’ or ‘American Tool Supply’, which seems lifted

from a hardware catalogue, over panoramas of

snow-capped peaks. ‘The mountains are a way of

suggesting some kind of heroic thought within a

picture plane,’ says Ruscha. For these pictures he

had developed his very own angular typeface that

recalled welded metal – ‘I wanted to arrive at

some sort of “can’t-go-wrong” typeface. So

I imagined a kind of graphically inept person

making an alphabet for a poster, where you didn’t

have to make any curves in the letters, and so if

you had an R or an O it was all made up of

straight lines so that made it very easy. Then I just

kind of stuck with it.’

Ruscha’s road trip never ends but instead

loops back on itself – like the track race at the

climax of classic road movie Two-Lane Blacktop

(1971). In 005, Ruscha presented ‘Course of

Empire’ at the Venice Biennale, when he returned

to the industrial buildings and warehouses he’d

painted in 199 , and recorded their changed logos

against glowering skies. Why do you like the road

so much? I ask. He says: ‘Probably like a mountain

climber, I’d say I climb it because it’s there.’

Ruscha’s oeuvre is not restricted to the

road and the word. A landmark work, painted

in the late Sixties, depicted the Los Angeles

County Museum of Art on fire. It’s an oddly

confrontational image considering Ruscha’s

warm embrace from the art world, but it’s also

a sign of the other notable quality of his art – his

rebellious streak. At the tail end of the Sixties,

Ruscha executed a strange series in which pills

– amphetamines, tranquillisers and painkillers –

floated in expanses of space. ‘Pills represented to

me something that could be dangerously edgy,

and I liked them also for their visual properties;

they were tiny and potent.’ The pills are painted

exactly life-size. ‘I was doing it at the same time

that other artists were taking small objects and

blowing them up real big. So I wanted to focus on

the faithfulness of the object and just paint that.’

In the late Eighties, Ruscha painted

nostalgic subjects for the first time, plucking out

images from the black and white matinee films of

America in the Fifties: lines of wagons from

Westerns, and the silhouettes of sailing ships, yet

painted as if seen through fog. ‘These images are

based on what you might see in a book and so

you are one step removed from the reality. I’m

painting the idea of a ship. Marine painters have

always been artists that loved the sea and being

on ships. I’m the furthest you can be from that.

I’m not very interested in sailing or ships.’

Even in these shadowy images, words are

not entirely absent. Crude white oblongs lie across

parts of some images, as if the artist was blocking

out text. The climax of the series is a painting of

the last frame of an old movie that reads ‘The

End’. The image is at once an American icon, an

affectionate depiction of the scratchy surface of

old film, and a symbol of death. ‘I grew up on

he developed his own

angular typeface that

recalled welded metal

font of knowledge Ruscha has perfected his own, instantly recognisable

typeface, above. In 009, he donated his work ‘Uh Oh’, top, to be auctioned

in aid of Laurence Graff’s charity FACET, which helps African children.

Opposite page: Ruscha has an eclectic collection of music to listen to in

the studio, top. One of his iconic Standard gas station works, ‘Burning

Gas Station’, painted in 1966, bottom

black and white movies,’ says Ed Ruscha, ‘and I

always appreciated those scratches and pops –

the little irregularities that happened that weren’t

supposed to happen – I started to mimic those.

Now movies in the future are not going to have

those scratches, so I also look at that as affecting

my art in the sense that 40, 50 years from now,

people will look back and say, what does that

mean? So I’m in a sense painting a lost cause.’

And yet, American icons and Pop Art

are half of Ed Ruscha’s art. His work is also a

philosophical investigation of the way images

and words, the two tools that man uses to

communicate and make art, create meanings.

Look at one of his pictures for a long

time, and you might feel a certain fuzziness, even

frustration, in your head, while at the same time a

wry smile crosses your face. It’s a reaction you

might have when you look at ‘Steel’, in which the

title word is photorealistically painted as if it is

liquid on a surface. And it’s the sensation you

might have when you read ‘Faith’ (197 ), painted

in bright white italic capitals against an infinitely

receding mysterious background of red and black.

That is because Ruscha is playing with the

different ways that images and words function –

and the pleasure and cleverness of his works

comes from these games. Sometimes Ruscha

works with contradictions – in ‘Hell Heaven’ (1989)

he writes ‘Hell’ above an upside-down ‘Heaven’,

creating a visual, verbal reversal of the normal

spiritual order. At other times, he works with visual

literalism. In ‘Scream’ (1964), he writes the word

contrastingly in black on a bright yellow ground.

But then shards of the yellow cross into the

lettering, threatening to obliterate it, the colour

equivalent of a searingly loud noise – a scream.

Ruscha’s painting of the back of the Hollywood

sign (‘The Back of Hollywood’, 1977) is different

again – a symbol that suggests another dark side

to the glamour of Hollywood. It’s a meaning that

can only be conveyed by an image. You can never

write the back of a word; yet here, of course,

Ruscha has painted the back of the word, creating

a meaning that language can never have.

Not that Ruscha has steeped himself in

dense books about semiotics or, what philosophers

call the phenomenology of visual perception.

Rather, the impulse comes from Ruscha, the

contrarian, the artist who delights in experiencing

those moments when meaning breaks down. ‘I

just seem to find myself nodding towards things

‘i just find myself nodding

towards things that

don’t make a lot of sense’

that don’t make a lot of sense,’ he says. ‘I’m kinda

treading on eggshells here, but I also feel like I

don’t need to make any particular type of sense…’

The artist laughs, continuing, ‘I’m happy to

be in a vocation where incoherency can actually

be a virtue. I feel we’re lucky. Artists can get away

with murder. When you build a house all the nails

have to go into the right places. When you build

a painting, all the nails can go into all the wrong

places and it can be a great painting.’

Ed Ruscha is represented by the Gagosian Gallery,

www.gagosian.com

taking inspiration A collection of framed images in Ruscha’s studio,

including a portrait of a young Ed and his sister, and one of jazz saxophonist

John Coltrane, top. ‘Boxer’, one of Ruscha’s sunset paintings, from 1979, right

CREDITS: LAURA W

ILSON, ED RUSChA/gAgOSIAN gALLERy

5

6

elegant and SumptuouS, theSe beautifully crafted

pieceS have a delicate Strength that complementS the

grandeSt plumage of the natural world

photography Graeme Montgomery | Styling Annette Masterman

Flights oF Fancy

Fancy Intense Yellow emerald-

cut Diamond earrings set with

round Diamonds on pavé swan

hooks (Diamonds 113.94cts).

Pearshape and round

D Flawless Diamond earrings

(Diamonds 53.41cts).

Yellow radiant and white

round Diamond necklace


Pearshape D Flawless Diamond

ring, set with pearshape Diamond

shoulders (Diamonds 1 .01cts).

Oval D Flawless Diamond ring,

set with pearshape Diamond

shoulders (Diamonds 1 .78cts).

Heartshape D Flawless Diamond

ring, set with taper baguette

Diamond shoulders (Diamonds

11.01cts).

Multishape Diamond

line necklace with 14.07ct

D Flawless pearshape drop


Heartshape Ruby and round,

pearshape and marquise Diamond

necklace (Rubies 70.46 cts,

Diamonds 47.85cts).

03. GraffStar Grand Date With a 43mm case carved from a

solid block of 18 carat rose gold, the

GraffStar Grand Date is undeniably

striking. The star-pattern dial

provides a perfect backdrop to the

rose gold hands, applied hour

markers and the small seconds

sub-dial at the nine o’clock position.

Beneath that dial lies a hand-wound

Graff Calibre One movement with

date function at 1 o’clock, 50-hour

power reserve and a wheel inspired

by the facets of a cut and polished

diamond. This micro-mechanical

marvel can be admired through the

sapphire crystal case back.

04. GraffStar An exercise in understatement, the

GraffStar represents the perfect

dress watch: interesting to look at

yet simple in design; functional yet

stylish; minimalist yet statement-

making, with its elegant decorative

work. The self-winding, Swiss-made

movement provides no other

function than to keep time, driving

Graff’s trademark faceted hour and

minute hands and a small seconds

indicator at six o’clock. The dial face

is either discreet white or black,

enhanced with a star pattern in

relief. Surely this is timekeeping in

its purest form?

01. MasterGraff Tourbillon This version of the 45mm

MasterGraff Tourbillon, a watch

designed to the exact specifications

of Laurence Graff himself, embodies

effortless superiority: the self-

winding movement features the

revered tourbillon complication –

regarded as the apotheosis of haute

horlogerie – contained in a rose

gold case that contrasts admirably

with the jet-black dial. Arc-shaped

sub-dials provide readings for

retrograde date and power reserve

while the rose gold theme is picked

up in the buckle of the crocodile

strap. Just 30 examples will be made.

0 . ChronoGraff Imposing, robust and sporting, the

45mm ChronoGraff is also a watch

that will slip seamlessly from a day

of strenuous activity to a night of

sophistication. This version, with

black dial, white gold bezel and

black, crocodile strap, uses a tried

and tested Swiss-made, self-winding

movement that features a date

window between the four and five

o’clock positions. Sixty-second,

30-minute and 1 -hour sub-dials

make the ChronoGraff a versatile

timing tool that can be used for

everything from sporting events to

boiling the perfect egg.

one can detect the make and model of a watch using the ‘three-metre test’,

according to Simon de burton. it takes most timepieces a long while to be

recognised and admired from a distance, but graff’s have quickly passed

muster to achieve that status and become instant classics

01

photography Matthew Shave | styling Annette Masterman

HAUTE HOROLOGY

34

0

03

04

01

0

03

03. GraffStar

This special version of the GraffStar

really does epitomise everything

that a ladies’ cocktail watch should

be. It is based around a specially

down-sized, 30mm case which

contains a dial adorned with

invisibly set diamonds. Beneath

the glittering surface lies a

necessarily small and beautifully

engineered Swiss-made, hand-

wound mechanical movement

that drives Graff’s distinctive

faceted hour and minute hands.

The watch is available with either

a satin band or, as seen here,

a crocodile leather strap.

04. ChronoGraff

Advice to men: if you opt for

the white-dial version of the

ChronoGraff, keep it securely under

lock and key or your ‘better half’

will almost certainly make off

with it. The rose gold case and

red crocodile strap of the version

pictured here make it far too

temptingly versatile for most

women to resist – and where once

its 45mm diameter size would

have been deemed unsuitable for

a female wrist, it is now considered

entirely fashionable. Nothing,

it appears, is sacred – even our

wristwatches.

01. ChronoGraff

The blackened case of this version

of the ChronoGraff is the result of

the application of a material called

DLC, or Diamond-Like Carbon, that

is bonded to the case of the watch

to make it many times tougher and

more wear-resistant than steel. As

well as endowing the ChronoGraff

with an altogether darker character

than other versions, it also increases

its durability in potentially high-

impact situations such as skiing.

The white rubber strap does not

only contrast stylishly with the

black dial, but is both waterproof

and comfortable,

0 . BabyGraff

The small and elegant cocktail

watch, de rigueur during the

glamorous 19 0s, is well and truly

back – and nowhere is the genre

more beautifully executed than

in the exquisite BabyGraff 1mm.

Small it may be, but it is also

perfectly formed: Made from 18

carat white gold, it is set with no

fewer than 4 carats of the finest

Graff diamonds – 30 half-carat

diamonds make up the bracelet

while 106 adorn the case and dial.

The complexities associated with

making such a watch mean that

just 100 will be available worldwide.

‘why can’t a woman be more like a man?’ opined rex harrison as henry

higgins in ‘my fair lady’. if the popularity of some of graff’s larger-cased

watches among women is anything to go by, they are succeeding, though

exquisite, diamond-studded timepieces will always shine bright

04

37

VIEW FROM THE TOP

In the heart of South afrIca’S wInelanDS, SaYS

JANE BroughtoN, DelaIre Graff eState haS aDDeD

luXurIouS loDGeS anD a SPa for the chIceSt StaY

The recently opened lodges on Laurence Graff’s

Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch are proof

that the best things in life do come in small,

designer-wrapped packages. This is long-haul

holiday bliss: the ideal post-safari circuit bolt

hole – 10 exquisitely decorated, private lodges

with a spa attached, perched between majestic

mountains and rolling vineyards in the Cape winelands. Accessible

yet secluded, the boutique-scaled accommodation augments the

estate’s already impressive wine, food, art and design experience.

The opening of the pan-Asian restaurant, Indochine, in

addition to the well established Delaire Graff Estate Restaurant

means that there are now two excellent dining rooms on the estate,

further enhancing the reputation of the region as a gourmet’s

paradise. Better still, Cape Town’s legendary natural beauty and city

attractions are less than an hour’s drive away. The bar has been

raised for chic travel to the southernmost tip of Africa.

38

water feature The main swimming pool is located in an idyllic position,

with views over Stellenbosch and the iconic Table Mountain

elegant nature With so few guests in residence at any one time, the pool

and Jacuzzi, left, make for a highly relaxing experience. David Collins’

choice of rich blue and copper in the Indochine restaurant, top, epitomises

his desire to create interiors of intense colour. Indochine’s Asian-inspired

menu, above, focuses on light and lean flavours

charge. Making up your own mini selection

of gourmet ingredients – think charcuterie, local

cheeses, berries fresh from the farm across the

road, organic yoghurt, decadent pastries and

eggs Benedict – will cure the most ardent critic

of buffet breakfasts. General manager Jonathan

Lithgow has an experienced eye and attention to

the finest details is a defining point of staying here.

Throughout the hotel, colour is used

abundantly. At Indochine, rich blues combine

with battered copper and limed oak to provide

an incredibly sophisticated yet relaxed ambience

from breakfast through to dinner. On fine days,

lunch is best outdoors on the restaurant terrace

with its wraparound views of vineyards, olive

groves and mountains. If there’s any time between

spa treatments, wine tasting, vineyard walks,

sightseeing and sunbathing, the port red and grey

private cinema – only 10 seats – is an intimate and

inviting space for big-screen viewing.

At the heart of the hotel are the 10

generously proportioned lodges. Two of the

lodges, the Presidential and Owner’s lodges, have

huge living spaces, decks and pools, with an en

suite bedroom at each end for maximum privacy.

These are heaven for parents travelling with

children. Functioning like a private villa, each

lodge has a private, heated infinity pool sunk into

a wooden deck, a butler kitchen with a personal

host on call, and interiors with the sort of attention

to detail that should make anyone feel at home.

The 600-thread count Egyptian cotton bed linen

is Coleman Prowse, the marble bathrooms are

all-out pamper zones stocked with Jo Malone’s

lime, basil and mandarin-fragranced products, and

THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF

GUESTS IN RESIDENCE AT ANY

GIVEN TIME IS TWO DOZEN

luxury lodge Inside the well-appointed lodges, imaginative details such

as calming decoration tones and subtle paint effects, natural materials

including bamboo, reed, and end-grain wood and the selection of

sumptuous 600-thread count Egyptian cotton bed linen all combine to

create a sensation of total wellbeing and utter pampering

When Laurence Graff acquired the historic boutique

winery known as Delaire, he was enchanted by its

unique setting on the Helshoogte mountain pass

linking Stellenbosch to the wine-growing regions

of Franschhoek and Paarl. In 009, an ultra-

modern winery was launched along with a

flagship restaurant and tasting lounge; earlier this

year the David Collins-designed lodges and spa

were opened.

The creative stimulant for the entire estate

was Mr Graff’s considerable collection of

contemporary South African art, which also served

as a natural point of departure when it came to

developing the hotel’s design. This is most striking

in the hotel lobby with its art gallery proportions.

Avocado-green leather sofas and canary yellow

chairs in crocodile leather surround an epic

marble fireplace with an installation of National

Geographic magazines on either side. The

eye-catching colour palette exemplifies designer

David Collins’ passion for saturating his interiors

with colour, enriched with tonal and textural

contrasts. On arrival, guests are greeted by

Deborah Bell’s regal sculptures that recall ancient

civilizations and spiritual journeys. A series of

Lionel Smit’s over-scaled portraits, titled ‘Malay

Girl’, are impactful and visually powerful. Outdoors

on the lawn, rough-hewn bronzes of cheetahs

by Stellenbosch-based Dylan Lewis bristle with

pent-up tension.

The maximum number of guests in

residence at any given time is two dozen, so the

experience of staying here is highly individual

– the winelands equivalent of being in a luxury

safari camp or far-flung private island. Depending

on the season, tropical fruit smoothies or eggnog

laced with fragrant spices and Cognac are offered

on arrival. In the late afternoon, complimentary

Delaire wines and canapés, each one resembling a

miniature work of art, are standard. Breakfast may

be enjoyed in the privacy of your lodge at no extra

41

the complimentary mini bar is pre-stocked with

your favourite drinks – the summery, estate-

produced Sauvignon Blanc included.

In the private, personal space of the

lodges, the use of colour is less intense, broken

down into paler hues with textures and tones

becoming more relevant. Soft, calming tones

of sea greens, ocean mist and aqua blues create

a cocoon-like sanctuary, encouraging total

relaxation. Bamboo and reed ceilings, polished

concrete floors, end-grain wood and pigmented

plaster in earthy tones were used to ground the

interiors. Collins also engaged talented South

African master craftsmen to produce furniture and

lighting to his studio’s precise designs. Cushions in

the bedrooms were given unique local provenance

with hand-embroidered detailing; imported

wallpapers have a bespoke finish, using colour

washes and subtle paint effects. The result is a

rare combination of original and international style

and intelligent functionality.

Since the opening of the flagship Delaire

Graff restaurant, with Christiaan Campbell at the

helm, dining on the estate has been elevated to

an art form. With the addition of Indochine, the

estate is fast becoming a destination for fine

dining. Indochine’s chef, Jonathan Heath, speaks

knowledgeably and passionately about the

synergy between the spa’s holistic approach

to wellness and the fresh, light flavours that

characterise his pan-Asian menu. Locally sourced,

mostly organic fresh produce and fragrant spices

equate to punchy explosions of flavour. Lunch

may begin in Southeast Asia with an elegant wild

mushroom salad layered with spiced bean curd,

bamboo shoots and coconut shavings and end up

in India with fiery tikka duck masala. For a local

twist, don’t miss the lightly seared salmon trout

from nearby Franschhoek with the fresh flavours

of chilli, lemon grass, basil and coriander.

The spa is an integral part of the hotel, and

takes a holistic approach to beauty and wellness.

It’s open to non-hotel guests too, who favour

all-day spa rituals with lunch at Indochine in

between. There are four light-filled treatment

suites, each with a private bathroom and hydro-

massage bath. Other facilities include an

enormous outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, sauna and

steam rooms, a Technogym-equipped private

gymnasium and a Pilates studio. Specialised

anti-ageing treatments, medical consultations,

private nutritional counselling, even guided nature

walks in the mountains can all be arranged.

Therapeutic, restorative and rejuvenating benefits

found in the Aromatherapy Associates plant- and

flower-extract based oils and serums are designed

to relax or revitalise body and mind. For more

high powered, results-driven treatments, the

anti-ageing Swiss Perfection range, developed

at the renowned wellness centre La Prairie in

Switzerland, includes the active ingredient of the

Iris Germanica root, known to fast-track the skin’s

cellular regeneration

Most recently, a David Collins-designed

boutique of jewel box proportions has opened on

the estate, showcasing Graff jewellery and

watches, in addition to another boutique offering

exclusive white linen clothing by 100% Capri.

This chic Italian brand is the perfect match for

South Africa’s balmy Mediterranean climate.

Delaire Graff Hotel & Spa, Stellenbosch

(tel + 7 (0) 1 8858160; www.delaire.co.za)

THE DECOR OF THE LODGES

IS SOFT AND CALMING, TO

ENCOURAGE RELAXATION

THE LODGES Locally provenanced furniture, commissioned from

South African master craftsmen, and soft furnishings that are locally

hand-embroidered, help create comfortable interiors of original and

international style combined with intelligent functionality

4

arT Of rELaxaTiOn Arriving at the lobby, above, guests are greeted by

the splendour of Deborah Bell’s sculptures and Stephan Graff’s works of

art. Lionel Smit’s portrait, ‘African Girl With Residues’, far right, creates a

powerful impact. The Spa at the Delaire Graff Estate, right, is the only spa

in South Africa to offer treatments using Swiss Perfection products

PhotograPhY Thomas LaGrange | stYlIng Sam Willoughby

LUXURY LINEN

In a far-sighted entrepreneurial initiative, young

businessman Antonino Aiello has exported the Capri

lifestyle to the world. Born in Sorrento, Italy, Aiello

got his first taste for textiles and tailoring from his

family’s business, and says he was influenced by the

strong Neapolitan style. At the age of 3 he moved

to the island of Capri and 10 years ago founded the

highly successful fashion and household linen brand 100% Capri.

Linen is a natural, luxurious, go anywhere fabric. It was the

first known textile fibre in the world, with earliest traces of use

dating back to 8000BC. Made from flax, which the Egyptians called

‘woven moonlight’ due to its beauty, linen is the strongest

vegetable-based fibre with at least twice the strength of cotton.

Aiello saw great potential in applying his experience to linen.

He is excited by the fabric’s many qualities: it’s thermo-regulating,

making it breathable in hot climates, and cooler than cotton, and has

been praised for being non-allergenic and anti-bacterial, making it

especially kind to sensitive skin. It’s also ecologically friendly.

He is also inspired by its versatility, that linen can go from

casually elegant to dressy casual. The values of typical Italian

craftsmanship imbue the collections – many items are hand-stitched

in Sorrento, for example – in which the hallmarks are crisp and

comfortable, beautifully styled, clean lines with exquisite attention to

detail, in the signature colours of chocolate, white and taupe.

The brand draws inspiration from the colours, shapes and

lifestyle of Capri. ‘The island is the synonym of elegance,’ says Aiello.

‘Just look at the impressive characters who visited, like the writer

Curzio Malaparte, the film-maker Vittorio de Sica, then Aristotle

Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy – who also popularised the

world-famous Capri pants,‘ he describes. ‘100% Capri is inspired by

this world and lifestyle: by the white lime of the walls, by the glare

of the rocks, the blue of the sea around this beautiful island.’

With this jet-set lifestyle in mind, the whole family can be

outfitted at the glamorous and fashionable locations of his shops

round the world, including the Delaire Graff Estate in South Africa.

Linen is known as the prince of fibres; with 100% Capri,

Antonino Aiello is surely the king of linen. www.100x100capri.it

45

PhotograPhY Bruce Anderson | Words Joanne Glasbey

46

Delicate anD colourful confections, these tasteful pieces

come from the top tier of Jewellery Design

photography Matthew Shave | styling Helene Sivilia

sweet dreams

1ct emerald-cut Diamond

earrings with round Diamonds

on pavé French wire


Emerald-cut, oval and

pearshape Diamond

necklace (Diamonds 71.78cts).

Dress, Nina Ricci.

White pearshape and marquise

Diamond earrings with yellow

radiant-cut Diamond centres


White multishape Diamond

necklace set with yellow radiant-cut

Diamonds (Diamonds 141.96cts).

Grey top, Nina Ricci

Round and briolette Diamond

bangle (Diamonds 105.69cts).

Briolette Diamond earrings set

with round Diamond pavé tops

(Diamonds 48.6 cts).

Round Diamond bombé ring

on a pavé Diamond shank

(Diamonds .04cts).

Vintage silk dress, My Sugarland.

0.04ct round Diamond ring

with pearshape Diamond shoulders

(Diamonds 1.84cts).

Emerald-cut Emerald and round

Diamond bracelet (Diamonds

31.79cts, Emeralds 7.78cts).

Dress, Nina Ricci.

Round, pearshape and marquise

Diamond chandelier earrings

(Diamonds 31.1 cts).

Round, pearshape and marquise

Diamond chandelier necklace

(Diamonds 7.58cts).

9.37ct Fancy Vivid Yellow

pearshape Diamond ring with

pearshape Diamond shoulders


Dress, Nina Ricci.

Pearshape and round Diamond

earrings with round Emerald

drops (Diamonds 14.78cts,

Emeralds 6.81cts).

Round and marquise Diamond

swan brooch (Diamonds 3.6 cts).

6.69ct marquise Diamond

ring with pearshape Diamond

shoulders on a pavé Diamond

shank (Diamonds 30.43cts).

Dress, Nina Ricci, vintage

headpiece, My Sugarland.

Make-up Liberty Shaw at Frank; Hair Peter Beckett at Frank; Manicurist Lucie Pickavence at Caren; Model Fruszina at Models 1 Confectionery Lola’s Kitchen; Ladurée; Fortnum & Mason

Tableware Fortnum & Mason;

Thomas Goode; Baccarat; Wedgwood

NATURE’S REJUVENATION

For decades the Mattli family name has been synonymous with

pioneering health care and beauty. Philanthropist Armin Mattli

was an advocate of the benefits of cellular technology and

achieved groundbreaking results at the family’s anti-ageing

sanctuary, Clinique La Prairie, in Montreux, Switzerland. Mattli’s

team of world-renowned scientists revolutionised cellular

therapy, developing the first-ever animal cellular cosmetics line.

Mattli’s son, Gregor, inheriting the same pioneering spirit, has relentlessly sought to

develop his father’s discoveries in the field of cellular cosmetics. His quest for ‘the

perfect cell’ eventually led his team to redirect their focus from animal cells to plant cells.

Intensive research located a vegetal cellular compound in the root of the Iris Germanica

plant: a cell with potent and unrivalled anti-ageing effects. This breakthrough gave

birth to the vegetal cosmetics line: Swiss Perfection with Cellular Rejuven’Active IRISA, the

only range used at La Prairie Clinic. It is available in exclusive heath and beauty centres

around the world, and Swiss Perfection is now being introduced to South Africa at the

Delaire Graff Estate Spa – the first time the range’s spa products will be used in Africa.

The production method involves a complex procedure that first isolates the

intact root cells within the plant. These cells are then reduced to particles through

micronisation, to ensure the absorption of their active ingredients into the skin. Further

steps to the process then stabilise, preserve and finally integrate Cellular Rejuven’Active

IRISA in an active condition into the Swiss Perfection cosmetics.

The result? A product, high in enzymes and proteins, that activates the skin’s

metabolism, improving its ability to retain moisture and increase pore oxygenation. It

has an extraordinary effect on mature skin by reducing signs of cutaneous ageing, and

also prevents premature ageing on younger skin. The long-term benefits are outstanding.

www.swissperfection.com

PEAK PERFECTION The Swiss Perfection cosmetics line is based on root cells from the Iris Germanica plant,

developed in Switzerland and now available at the Delaire Graff Estate in South Africa

The SwiSS PerfecTion range offerS unrivalled anTi-ageing

ProPerTieS, reSulTing in a naTurally youThful aPPearance

55

MONACO MON AMOUR

When Laurence Graff was looking for a location for his first

store outside the UK, there were many possible and

competing options – yet, really, he had only one place in

mind. The year was 1999, and Graff had just successfully

exhibited at the prestigious Biennale des Antiquaries,

one of Europe’s most important fine art, antiques and

rare jewellery fairs. The venue for the event had further

convinced him that there was nowhere else in the world that quite matched it

for style, romance, history and wealth. The name of the place, the site of Graff’s first

crucially important overseas store, and setting for the realisation of an enduring

personal ambition, was Monaco.

To long-time Monaco residents, visitors and aficionados, Laurence Graff’s

decision came as little surprise. Monaco insiders know that, while there are certainly

other notable playgrounds for the rich and renowned around the globe, the royal

principality’s effortless marriage of elegance and affluence has always reigned

supreme. Graff Monaco opened in the fabled and opulent Hôtel de Paris in April 000,

and proved to be an instant hit. In many ways, the store is a perfect embodiment

of the qualities that make both Graff and Monaco so unique. The world’s pre-eminent

diamond jewellery brand had arrived in the most exclusive and star-studded place

on Earth. The relationship was naturally symbiotic.

‘Graff now has more than 30 stores worldwide, but the Monaco salon is

so very important to Monsieur Graff because it was his first outside London,’ says

IT’S NO BIGGER THAN LONDON’S HYDE PARK, AND HAS A POPULATION

OF JUST 33,000. BUT, SAYS PHILIP WATSON, THE PRINCIPALITY’S RICH

HISTORY AND INFUENCE GIVES IT GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE AND REACH

56

Le Rouret, South of France

Phuket, Thailand

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Marrakech, Morocco

Nicole Rey, who has been manager of the store

since it opened. ‘He has always had a very close

relationship with the salon.’

In addition to its unrivalled exhibition

of rare jewels, precious gemstones and haute

jewellery staged each summer in the Hôtel de

Paris’s extravagant Belle Époque Empire Room,

Graff recently opened a second much larger

Monaco store. Designed by celebrated Monte

Carlo-based interior designer Jean Pierre

Gilardino, the new store is located in the select

Gallery forum on the ground floor of the hotel; the

original salon on the mezzanine is now being used

solely for VIP appointments.

The private facility is likely to be busy,

because Monaco is a village of just 33,000 people

in which almost everyone can rightly consider

themselves a VIP, if only because of their address.

Ever since the mid-19th century, when the

principality became an independent sovereign

state under French protection, and gaming at the

lavish and newly built Casino de Monte-Carlo

began generating sufficient funds for local income

tax to be abolished, Monaco has been not so

much a place as a phenomenon, a state of mind

and of opulence.

The principality may be no larger than

London’s Hyde Park, yet its history – inextricably

linked to the fiercely independent and shrewdly

resilient House of Grimaldi, which has ruled the

city-state for more than 700 years – and influence

– Monaco has been and is home to some of the

world’s richest and most powerful businessmen

and women and billionaires – has always given it

a global significance and reach. Even the name

suggests a certain exclusivity: ‘Monaco’ is derived

from two Greek words, one meaning of which is

‘living apart from others’.

Fashionable high society has been drawn

to Monaco for centuries, yet the principality also

attracted an impressive cast of 0th-century

artists, actors and impresarios, from Greek

shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis to Hollywood

royalty such as Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and Ava

Gardner, to modernist painters Picasso, Matisse

and Braque, who created set designs for Sergei

Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes at the Opera House.

Monaco is where royalty, prosperity and celebrity

meet and enjoy life on the Mediterranean coast.

While, in the Twenties, Monaco cleverly

pioneered a stylish and hugely popular summer

season (previously, a winter sojourn had been de

rigueur on the Riviera), the apogee of Monaco’s

international appeal and influence was the late

Fifties and Sixties, after Prince Rainier married

American actress Grace Kelly. Princess Grace

brought an extra and elusive beauty, elegance and

charm to the royal principality; Monaco became

a nonpareil social epicentre for well-heeled

European aristocrats, fêted American stars and

glitzy British celebrities.

‘Monte Carlo’s got a mystery from way

back in the Twenties and Thirties – it’s magical,’

Shirley Bassey, the British-born singer, has said.

Bassey is a long-standing Monaco resident whose

famous hits ‘Diamonds Are Forever and ‘Hey Big

Spender’ have often made her a fitting guest at

Graff parties over the years.

It is not hard to pinpoint Monaco’s lasting

appeal. The glorious Mediterranean sunshine and

climate; the proximity to many of Europe’s capital

cities and business hubs (the principality is a brief

seven-minute helicopter hop from Nice airport);

a coveted and much valued sense of secrecy

and security – Monaco has strict privacy and

anti-paparazzi laws, and a firm, ever-present

police force; a lack of crime and grime (the city

streets are washed sparklingly clean every night)

– all have made this tiny state a celebrity safe

haven and an international businessman’s dream.

Add the principality’s legendary nightlife;

its world-class Michelin-starred restaurants; its

upmarket shops and designer boutiques; the

plethora of high-profile concerts, ballet productions

and art exhibitions, many at the magnificent and

recently renovated Opera House; the thrill and

prestige of the annual grand prix, still today the

blue-riband event of the Formula One calendar,

and yacht show, where the ultimate luxury super

yachts are regularly valued at $100 million-plus

– and it’s little wonder that Monaco is where a

modern international jet-set meets, plays and

parties. Monaco is social, fun, decadent, dynamic,

and often preposterously opulent.

‘Monaco is great because, if you want it to

be, it’s like one enormous nightclub,’ says John De

Stefano, a British commercial property investor

and Monaco resident. It’s also fun to see the sports

and performance cars that line up in Casino

Square; it’s like a luxury motor show every night.’

While much of the Western world is still

reeling from the global recession, Monaco continues

to attract rulers and princesses, presidents and

pop stars, oligarchs and entrepreneurs, to its

sunny shores. In fact, much as it did during the

fin de siècle, when Slavic princes and Bohemian

barons over-indulged in a newly perfected tipple

called champagne; today, it’s pretty much the

principality’s national drink.

Opulence and style has always come to

magical Monaco, and it is coming still today.

Right, from top: when Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly, Monaco’s

international appeal swelled even further; the Monaco Grand Prix is the

highlight of the F1 year; home for the ultimate luxury superyachts

MONACO IS WHERE THE JET-

SET AND THE POWERFUL

MEETS, PLAYS AND PARTIES

59

61

ENCHANTED EVENING

out-of-this-world dresses deserve the Most eXQuisite jewels.

once night falls, only the lights will be diMMed

PhotograPhy Lorenzo Agius | styling Ursula Lake

Emerald-cut Emerald and

marquise, pearshape and round

Diamond earrings (Diamonds

10. 5cts, Emeralds 37.50cts).

Multishape Diamond and emerald-

cut Emerald necklace (Diamonds

48.10cts, Emeralds 37.65cts).

0ct round Diamond ring with

pearshape Diamond shoulders

(Diamonds 1.84cts).

Black ruffle detail dress,

Ana Šekularac.

Round Diamond double hoop

earrings with a pearshape and round

Diamond clip (Diamonds 3.3 cts).

Heartshape, round and pearshape

Diamond necklace with a 6ct

pearshape Diamond drop


10ct blue Sapphire cushion-cut ring


(Diamonds 1.80cts, Sapphire 10cts).

Men’s 43mm GraffStar watch

with black face and white gold

bezel and buckle.

Invisibly set princess-cut Sapphire

cufflinks (Sapphires 7.89cts).

She wears: Burgundy silk

jersey one-shoulder gown,

Matthew Williamson.

He wears: Charcoal grey three-piece

suit, Paul Smith; white shirt,

Ede & Ravenscroft; black silk thin

tie, Giorgio Armani.

1ct emerald-cut and round

Diamond earrings on pavé swan


Emerald-cut and round Diamond

necklace with oval and pearshape

Rubies (Diamonds 74.15cts,

Rubies 60. 1cts).

Oval Ruby and oval Diamond

line bracelet (Diamonds 13.14cts,

Rubies 37.68cts).

10.88ct D FL oval Diamond ring


(Diamonds 1 .78 cts).

Black silk chiffon strapless gown

with black satin bow detail

by Marchesa.

Round and pearshape

Diamond feather motif chandelier

earrings (Diamonds 19.31cts).

38.1 ct Emerald cut Diamond ring

set in a round Diamond shank


Men’s 45mm ChronoGraff

watch with a white face and

rose gold bezel and buckle.

Grey silk tulle dress, Elie Saab.

Round Diamond gypsy hoop

earrings set with pink briolette

Sapphires (Diamonds 1 .64cts,

Sapphires 8.95cts).

Marquise and round Diamond

necklace (Diamonds 46.8 cts).

Pale pink one-shoulder dress,

Amanda Wakeley.

Yellow cushion and white round,

marquise and pearshape Diamond

earrings with Pearl drops

(Diamonds 16.57cts, Pearls 8-9mm).

Yellow radiant and cushion-cut

Diamond necklace set with pink,

purple and white Pearls (Diamonds

37.94cts, Pearls 15-19mm).

6.67ct Fancy Intense Yellow

cushion-cut Diamond ring with

white trilliant Diamond shoulders

(Diamonds 9.77cts).

Pale beige silk strapless dress,

Vivienne Westwood.

Yellow radiant and cushion-cut

and white round Diamond necklace


36. 4ct Fancy Intense Yellow

cushion-cut Diamond ring

with white pearshape Diamond

shoulders on a yellow and

white round Diamond shank


Fancy Vivid Yellow cushion and

radiant-cut Diamond line bracelet

with white round Diamond

centres (Diamonds 30.39cts).

Grey strapless dress, Roksanda Ilincic.

Hair Selena Middleton at Soho Management

Make-up: Linda Johansson at One Make-up Model Ivana Filipovic at Models 1

A VISION OF THE WORLD

The poet TS Eliot said, ‘The journey not the arrival matters.’ Such

freedom of spirit and passion for exploration is the ethos behind

the 644ft, 1 -deck ship The World. This aptly named vessel is a

true city at sea, allowing the adventurous (on average 150 on board

at any one time) to travel in one of 165 private luxury homes while

stopping at destinations around the globe. Time between ports is

whiled away with four restaurants, a gourmet market, a theatre, a

library and top-of-the-line fitness facilities. Residents can choose between two swimming

pools, a full-size tennis court or a golf simulator or, for those saving their energy for

shore, there’s a 7,000sq ft Banyan Tree spa. Also on board is the only floating Graff

store, providing ocean-going guests with the most fabulous jewels in the world.

Circumnavigating the globe since 00 , The World has passed through the

Panama and Suez Canals three times, and docked at exotic locales such as Madagascar,

Greenland and Antarctica (pictured), complete with expert-led excursions. Always

there to deliver its residents in style to top adventures, The World has attended A-list

events like the America’s Cup in Auckland, the Louis Vuitton Challenger in Valencia, the

Monaco Grand Prix, golf’s Open Championship and the carnival in Rio.

Whether one makes such endless discovery permanent (all homes were sold in

006, but do come up for resale) or tests the waters with a trial residency, arriving on the

city at sea is simple: itineraries are planned 18 months in advance, letting residents decide

when and where to join or leave ship. Such is one’s luxury when everywhere is home.

www.aboardtheworld.com

70

HOPE TAKES A LEADBuilding on its success in lesotho, the facet foundation is now extending its

outreach to Botswana and the south african winelands, rePorts Maria Yacoob

In sub-Saharan Africa, the countries

of Botswana, Lesotho and South

Africa are locked in battle with two

ferocious enemies: poverty and

AIDS. But, fighting against a future

that can easily seem bleak, clear

voices of determination and hope

can be heard. ‘No matter how hard conditions are,

I will never give up.’ ‘If I am HIV positive, I must be

counselled and get anti-retro viral drugs.’ ‘I am

going to live a new life with a skilled mind.’

These quotes all come from people

who have taken part in programmes supported

by Laurence Graff’s FACET Foundation. Since

establishing FACET in 008 with an initial

donation of $1 million, Laurence Graff has been

explicit about its remit: to give support back to

the countries in Africa where Graff sources its

diamonds by partnering with deeply committed

charities with proven track records.

The first country to benefit from FACET’s

involvement was the one that most desperately

needed it – Lesotho. Its inhabitants are some

of the poorest in the world, and are burdened

with one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS.

FACET’s partnership with the charity Help Lesotho

led to the opening of the first Graff Leadership

Centre, in the Leribe district, earlier this year.

The Centre is designed to house 50 orphaned

girls, and to enrol them in intensive educational

and leadership courses. It also helps Basotho

girls, boys and grandmothers with its extensive

programme of literacy classes, after-school tuition,

leadership courses and guidance for grandmothers.

FACET provided additional funding for

an AIDS awareness debating competition, and

conferences for young men and women, which

all took place over the spring and summer months

this year. The impact of the conferences was

overwhelming. ‘The conference was very important.

It has empowered us a lot,’ said one participant.

Another commented, ‘I am now a woman who can

stand up for herself.’

While the Graff Leadership Centre in

Leribe goes from strength to strength, FACET

is now announcing two new partnerships. The first

is in Botswana with the charity Stepping Stones

International. Stepping Stones works predominately

with older children in Botswana who have lost

their parents to AIDS. All too often in these

situations the girls become default caregivers,

which means they lose out on education and are

vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

FACET has promised to fund a new

Leadership Centre in Botswana, which will provide

support programmes for orphans and vulnerable

children aged 1 -18. The vision for the Leadership

Centre in Botswana is to motivate three-quarters

of its participants to continue education or find

employment by the age of 18. After-school classes

will include practical job skills training, study skills,

and volunteer activities, but also life skills such as

goal-setting and building self-esteem through

sports, art, drama, and offering guidance to others.

The second new partnership is with the

South African charity The Pebbles Project.

Pebbles works with children in the South African

Winelands – an area where alcohol has a big

influence on both the economy and communities.

Pebbles offers support to children with special

educational needs, especially those whose lives

are affected by alcohol.

highlands The landscape of Lesotho, a country blessed by

natural beauty but devastated by poverty. Below Children at

one of the Pebbles-run crèches in South Africa’s Winelands

7

PhotograPhY Robert Wilson

A new FACET-funded Leadership Centre will offer

a uniquely tailored educational and psychological

support programme for these children, and will

also establish after-school provision for older

children living in the Winelands.

To fund these major projects, FACET has

announced two art auctions aiming to replicate

the success of FACET’s 009 auction at Christie’s,

where $1. million was raised. The first auction will

take place in February next year at the Delaire

Graff Estate in South Africa, and will feature the

work of such contemporary South African artists

as Anton Smit and Cameron Platter. The second

will take place in New York next May, and will

feature work by some of the most important

contemporary artists today, including Ed Ruscha

and Louise Lawler.

As well as raising money for FACET’s

Leadership Centres, the auctions aim to raise

awareness about the terrible situations that face

children in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

And how FACET wants, in the words of Laurence

Graff, ‘to make a fundamental difference to the

lives of Africa’s children.’

1. South African WinelandsThe lush green valleys of the

Western Cape’s Winelands are also

home to high numbers of children

with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum

isorder, as well as those with other

learning difficulties. Many children

live with the negative effects of

alcohol due to parental drinking,

neglect, and communities where

drinking is a problem.

. LesothoAfrica’s ‘kingdom in the sky’ is

blessed with natural beauty but

burdened with tragedy. Lesotho

is the seventh poorest country in

the world and life expectancy is

just 35. The incidence of HIV and

AIDS is the third highest in the

world, and has blighted a generation.

Orphaned children are either looked

after by grandparents, or must fend

for themselves. More than anything

else, children want to go to school

yet just eight per cent graduate

from high school.

3. BotswanaThe huge country’s landscape

is dominated by the impressive

Kalahari Desert and its economy

is dominated by diamonds. Sadly,

HIV and AIDS are also dominant

in Botswana, with one in every four

to five people there living with the

virus. The biggest victims are

those aged between 5 and 49,

so the number of children orphaned

as a result of HIV/AIDS continues

to soar. Estimates suggest 64 per

cent of children aged 10-18 are

without parents.

3

1

GRAFF stoReswoRldwide

EUROPE

UK

London

UK flagship store

6-7 New Bond Street

London W1S 3SJ

Tel: + 44 0 7584 8571

11 Sloane Street

London SW1X 9LE

Tel: +44 0 7 01 41 0

Monaco

Monte carlo

Hôtel de Paris

Place du Casino

Monte Carlo 98000

Tel: +377 97 70 43 10

France

courchevel

Rue du Rocher

731 0 Courchevel 1850

Tel: +33 680 86 0 39

Also at:

Hôtel Les Airelles

Chalet de Pierres

Hôtel Palace des Neiges

Tel: +33 680 86 0 39

SwitzerLand

Geneva

9 Rue du Rhône

1 04 Geneva

Tel: +41 819 6060

rUSSia

Moscow

Tretiakovsky Proezd, 6

Moscow

Tel: +7 495 933 3385

Luxury Village

Barvikha

Moscow

Tel: +7 495 933 3385

TSUM department store

ul. Petrovka

1 5009 Moscow

Tel: +7 495 933 3399

UKraine

Kiev

1 / /3 Gorodetskogo Street

01001 Kiev

Tel: +38 044 78 7557

NORTH AMERICA

new York

710 Madison Avenue

New York

New York 10065

Tel: +1 1 355 9 9

Bal Harbour

9700 Collins Avenue

Bal Harbour

Florida 33154

Tel: +1 305 993 1 1

chicago

103 East Oak Street

Chicago

Illinois 60610

Tel: +1 31 604 1000

Las Vegas

Wynn Las Vegas

3131 Las Vegas Blvd South

Las Vegas

Nevada 89109

Tel: +1 70 940 1000

Palm Beach

1 Worth Avenue

Palm Beach

Florida 33480

Tel: +1 561 355 9 9

in selected SaKS stores:

SAKS 5th Avenue, New York

Atlanta, Georgia

Beverly Hills, California

Dadeland, Florida

Greenwich, Connecticut

Naples, Florida

San Antonio, Texas

San Francisco, California

Tyson’s Corner, Virginia

AFRICA

SoUtH aFrica

Stellenbosch

Delaire Graff Estate

Helshoogte Pass

Banhoek Valley

Stellenbosch 7600

Tel: + 7 0 1 885 8160

THE MIDDLE EAST

dUBai

Atlantis Hotel

The Palm Jumeirah

Dubai

Tel: +9714 4 0063

The Dubai Mall

Dubai

Tel: +9714 339 9795

ASIA

cHina

Hong Kong

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Salisbury Road

Kowloon

Hong Kong SAR

Tel: +85 735 7666

Shanghai

The Peninsula Shanghai

Shop L1 O

3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road

The Bund

Shanghai 0000

Tel: +86 1 63 1 6660

JaPan

tokyo

The Peninsula Hotel Tokyo

1-8-1 Yurakucho

Chiyoda-ku

Tokyo 100-0006

Tel: +81 3 6 67 0811

ON BOARD ‘THE WORLD’

Tel: +1 646 996 4794

OPENING IN

cHina

Beijing

Hangzhou

taiwan

Taipei

USa

San Francisco

74

Jewel of the Alps For almost 10 years, Graff has

been a fixture in the luxurious

French resort Courchevel 1850.

This winter, Graff opens a new

boutique on Rue du Rocher,

the most prestigious street

in the resort. The locally

crafted wood-panelled interior

has been designed to reflect

the chalet style famous of the

Savoyard region and features

an open fireplace to create

a warm welcome for visitors as

they discover a treasure trove

of fabulous jewellery.

Experience the Exceptional

The first European Residences at Mandarin Oriental

Unrivalled location and views - Iconic architecture by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners - Exclusive interior design by Candy & CandyWorld Class leisure facilities - Legendary service by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group - Acclaimed art by James Turrell

By appointment only www.onehydepark.com [email protected] +44 (0)20 7590 2340 A Candy & Candy designed project

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Graffiti Magazine