Graff has unveiled the 67 polished stones it cut from the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, including a record-breaking 302-carat diamond.
The jeweler has named the square emerald-cut, 302.37-carat, D-color diamond the Graff Lesedi La Rona. It has yet to receive final certification for the stone, but expects a “very high clarity grading,” a Graff spokesperson told Rapaport News Wednesday. If it turns out to be flawless, it would be the largest D-flawless the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has graded, the spokesperson added. It’s also the largest of its shape in history, according to the company.
The entire process, from discovery through the cutting and polishing stages, took more than 18 months.
“Cutting a diamond of this size is an art form, the ultimate art of sculpture,” said Graff founder Laurence Graff. “It is the riskiest form of art, because you can never add and you can never cover up a mistake, you can only take away. You have to be careful, and you have to be perfect.”
Inspecting the diamond presented a challenge to Graff’s gemologists, as the stone was too large for the company’s equipment, the jeweler said. Graff built a custom scanner specifically for the Lesedi La Rona.
Photos © Graff Diamonds.
