In the world of high jewelry, GRAFF has long firmly occupied two key positions in consumers' minds:
First, the "King of Famous Diamonds." The 20 largest legendary diamonds of this century are all in Graff's collection.
Second, the beloved choice on top-tier wedding lists. With impeccable cutting and fire, Graff has become the important token for countless people's once-in-a-lifetime moments.
However, at Graff's latest major exhibition, we saw a third answer.
"Brilliant Flight" Graff Butterfly Collection Jewelry Exhibition at the Old City Government Building on the Bund, Shanghai
As a classic creation that Graff has refined for over fifty years, the Butterfly collection has long become one of the brand's most recognizable signature designs, carrying Graff's continuous expression of natural inspiration, diamond craftsmanship, and lively aesthetics. This time, Graff presents the Butterfly collection in mainland China on a full scale for the first time, showcasing pieces spanning fine jewelry, high jewelry, and watches, systematically tracing the evolution of this classic element.
This move sends a clear and strong signal: Graff's brand awareness in the Chinese market has moved beyond the initial accumulation stage and begun to further deepen the narrative around its iconic collections.
At this significant stage of strategic elevation for the brand, Luxe.Co had the privilege of an in-depth conversation with Mr. Arnaud Bastien, Global Retail Director and President of Asia at Graff.
Arnaud Bastien has lived in Hong Kong since 1999 and is highly familiar with both the Asian and international luxury markets. In 2006, he joined this rare family-owned enterprise among high jewelry brands, and over 20 years has led the brand's expansion in Asia and driven rapid growth in the Chinese market.
He emphasized: "In the high jewelry market, the demand and potential are enormous, but the number of top brands is actually still very small, which is why so many brands are entering or intensifying their efforts in this field. And Graff is one of the rapidly growing players in the high jewelry market."
1. Why strengthen "Butterfly" as a signature symbol?
From the brand's founder, Mr. Laurence Graff OBE, Graff established a brand philosophy driven by top-tier gemstones.
Industry observers believe he has personally handled more precious diamonds than any jeweler of contemporary times, or indeed any era. These include "Lesedi La Rona," the largest gem-quality rough diamond discovered in nearly a century, and "The Infinity Diamond," one of the world's largest heart-shaped diamonds ever cut and presented, among many other legendary stones.
Starting as a jewelry apprentice, he devoted his life to the diamond industry, believing that every diamond is a masterpiece of the universe's creation, always holding a love and reverence for nature's creations, and dedicating himself to studying gem clarity and cutting methods.
Graff Butterfly Collection Jewelry Exhibition Themed Space
Arnaud Bastien traced the origin of Graff's butterfly inspiration for us, which is closely linked to the founder's philosophy:
"You know, diamonds have always been in Graff's DNA. Looking back at the Butterfly collections Graff has launched over the years, although they present three distinct design languages, their core silhouette all derives from the combination of two pear-cut diamonds and two marquise-cut diamonds."
"This idea originally started from the form of the diamonds themselves. When founder Mr. Laurence Graff OBE gazed at these diamonds, he found they naturally presented a posture resembling a butterfly, thus beginning the design lineage of the Butterfly collection. Since then, while retaining this iconic shape, Graff has continuously expanded into different collections and forms. Today, the butterfly has become one of Graff's most recognizable brand identifiers."
Throughout Graff's brand history, it has repeatedly used bold and avant-garde marketing communications to greatly enhance brand awareness, and the Butterfly collection has always been part of this.
For example, Mr. Laurence Graff OBE personally led the creative print campaign "Green Lady," using an unexpected "hunter green" background to set off the model and highlight the jewelry's brilliance. In 2006, Butterfly collection jewelry pieces first appeared in this themed campaign.
2006: Butterfly earrings first appeared in the "Green Lady" campaign, and the classic butterfly silhouette is still in use today
Another classic case was Graff's highly representative "Hair and Jewelry" campaign at the time. As early as 1970, Mr. Laurence Graff OBE created 22 rare jewels worth a total of $1 million and wore them in the hair of young models, creating a sensation with bold and avant-garde visual expression. In 2013, on the occasion of the founder's 60th anniversary in the jewelry industry, Graff reimagined this classic creative concept, with a high jewelry butterfly brooch becoming a focal point.
2013: Butterfly brooch leaps onto legendary hair ornaments, with lively forms forging the brand icon
These milestone campaigns and visual narratives that witnessed the brand's history have shaped the highly recognizable Graff butterfly form. And the details of the gemstones further reflect Graff's heritage and pursuit of craftsmanship.
In 1975, the first Graff butterfly pendant was introduced. After more than fifty years of development, the Butterfly collection has expanded to include brooches, necklaces, watches, and other rich styles, forming three contemporary iconic interpretations: Classic Butterfly, Entwined Butterfly, and Butterfly Phantom.
At the exhibition, four major zones are linked by the butterfly theme, not only presenting the three representative interpretations but also grandly unveiling 12 new limited-edition high jewelry butterfly brooches—the latest masterpieces that Arnaud Bastien specifically recommended we appreciate in detail during the interview.
This group of brooches selects diamonds of extraordinary quality and cleverly incorporates exceptional precious materials such as Zambian emeralds, Mozambican rubies, pink sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines, and even natural seawater pearls into the creations. Inspiration is drawn from Art Deco and Baroque styles, as well as rugged Italian architectural aesthetics and Impressionist paintings. Vibrant colors and geometric tension blend together, and each piece presents a unique form and brilliance, dreamy and moving.
This series of masterpieces also brings back the ancient "En Tremblant" technique. Each butterfly brooch hides a precise mechanical structure at its center, allowing the butterfly to tremble gently with the wearer's breath and movements, as if possessing vivid vitality.
Graff Butterfly Brooch - Athea Craftsmanship
"The butterfly has become one of Graff's signature elements. In fact, from everyday pieces to advanced jewelry works to high jewelry worth millions of dollars, the butterfly runs through Graff's complete product system. I think the core of this exhibition is precisely to tell the story of the 'butterfly' to a broader audience."
Graff Butterfly Collection
Arnaud Bastien said directly: "I hope that in the near future, more Chinese women can confidently choose Graff's butterfly." He explained: "Not just because Graff represents luxury, but because every woman deserves a shining self-reward as a beautiful witness to her life's highlights."
2. The high jewelry market is far from saturated, and China has huge potential
In recent years, Graff has insisted on holding exhibitions in China every year, such as this "Brilliant Flight" Butterfly collection jewelry exhibition and last year's "A New Chapter" 65th anniversary brand exhibition at West Bund in Shanghai, allowing more and more people to discover this unique brand.
Starting from the pinnacle of "King of Famous Diamonds," Graff is bringing the charm of top-tier jewelry to a broader wedding scene and into consumers' hearts. With Graff's deep investment in wedding jewelry collections, the brand has received strong responses and recognition from Chinese consumers. Arnaud Bastien said: "The Chinese wedding jewelry market is highly competitive, and we are honored to be among the industry's top tier, continuously providing consumers with top-tier choices."
Today, as Graff begins to continuously interpret and consolidate this brand signature symbol through the Butterfly collection, it will undoubtedly help the brand tell its vision and craftsmanship to more and broader consumers. As an eternal symbol combining beauty and life, the butterfly possesses extremely high recognizability, extensibility, emotional resonance, and narrative depth.
Graff Butterfly Collection Jewelry Exhibition Themed Space
From the perspective of consumer brand perception, Arnaud Bastien said: "Chinese consumers have a deep and genuine interest in brands and are willing to spend time understanding the essence of a brand. This makes us cherish every opportunity to present ourselves.We know that many friends already know something about Graff and have formed a good initial impression.But at the same time, we do not avoid a real challenge: some may think Graff belongs only to the hall of 'high jewelry,' and the Butterfly collection is precisely what brings Graff's wearing occasions closer to daily life."
He emphasized: "Through this exhibition, we hope to show everyone that Graff's world is richer than imagined. It is not out of reach, but our ultimate pursuit of quality has never relaxed for a moment."
Graff Butterfly Collection Jewelry Exhibition Themed Space
Chinese consumers' affection for jewelry fills Arnaud Bastien with confidence about Graff's future prospects in the Chinese market:
"Today, Chinese consumers are very knowledgeable about luxury and know a lot about gemstones. Jewelry has always been attractive in the Chinese market; not only jadeite, but diamonds, colored gemstones, and various precious materials all have broad audiences. This is a market of enormous scale and deep understanding."
3. Graff will move forward steadily with its family heritage
At the exhibition, we appreciated Graff's exquisite interpretation of natural imagery. When asked which animal he would use to describe the Chinese market, Arnaud Bastien thought for a moment and then smiled: "I think the Chinese market is somewhat like a fierce tiger, and coincidentally, my Chinese zodiac sign is also the tiger."
He explained: "The Chinese market is very flexible, agile, and fast-moving; it is a place that can carry grand dreams and business visions."
Currently, Graff has 80 directly operated stores worldwide. In February this year, the brand just opened its 12th boutique in mainland China at Xi'an SKP.
Graff Xi'an SKP Jewelry Store
Over the past five or six years, Graff has accelerated its store expansion in China, but Arnaud Bastien explained that the brand actually does not want aggressive expansion; it's just that the Chinese market is developing so fast that Graff must keep up.
He described: "The Chinese market is highly competitive, and the market environment changes extremely quickly—a location that was just a small street shop two years ago may now be a bustling commercial district, and first- and second-tier cities have matured a lot. It's easy to open many stores in China. But to do it right, you need to truly understand this market. So you must be cautious and have a long-term perspective."
"In the coming years, the total number of stores worldwide may approach 100, but that will be our upper limit to maintain a unique experience and scarcity. The layout in key cities has been completed; the next core is no longer expansion but refinement: better locations, more spacious display spaces, and continuous upgrades and renewals."
He added that, in fact, as a family business, Graff's attitude toward such a huge market is very cautious. "Perhaps we are not number one in some things, but we are walking our own path in a safe way."
"We are more cautious than the big groups. For a family business, the brand carries the family name and a life's dedication, not just a job. So our management is more stable, and we make every major decision based on a long-term vision, never compromising—for Graff, this means adhering to the ultimate pursuit of quality."
"I appreciate the working environment and entrepreneurial spirit here. Working with the Graff family gives me a sense of dedication as if running my own business, because we share common values."
Conclusion
Speaking about Graff's unique position in the high jewelry world, Arnaud Bastien's words precisely captured it:
"We are the only family-owned, family-run high jewelry brand. For customers, knowing from whom they buy is very important; we have expertise across the entire diamond value chain—not just buying diamonds and cutting and designing them, but in some way participating in the entire value chain; we never compromise on quality; therefore, we are a completely unique story, representing a distinctive brand history."
Through the dazzling array of Graff butterfly pieces at the exhibition, we truly felt that the brand is engaging with consumers in a softer, warmer way. Beyond the narrative of top-tier gemstones, Graff also knows how to let jewelry "speak"—not only to be seen but also to be remembered by more people.
Graff Butterfly Collection Jewelry Exhibition Themed Space
For Graff, the butterfly has long transcended a mere visual symbol and carries profound emotional meaning. This lively creature, the butterfly, is just like Graff as a family business with deep heritage: while staying true to its original quality, it also shows a light posture of embracing change and daring to transform, moving calmly toward a broader market.
Although extremely light, the butterfly can cross mountains and seas and welcome rebirth through breaking the cocoon. This miracle of nature also coincides with the spiritual core of contemporary women pursuing growth and yearning for freedom.
Graff's choice of the butterfly as one of its brand identifiers is not only an aesthetic interpretation but also a true portrayal of the brand's contemporary spirit. Just as the theme of this exhibition—"Brilliant Flight"—witnesses transformation with brilliance and pays tribute to freedom with flight.
| Image source: Provided by Graff
| Editor: Elisa
