Delaire Graff looks east

The news that Laurence Graff’s diamond retail company Graff Diamonds is to raise $1 billion in Hong Kong is excellent news for SA wine exports to the Middle Kingdom.  For Laurence is also owner of Delaire Graff wine estate, the jewel in the Banghoek crown.  After the Chinese injection of cash, the diamond business will be valued at $5 billion – not bad seeing as though it took the Oppenheimers nearly a century to get their stake in De Beers, since sold to Anglo American, up to this level.

Delaire Graff looks east

Laurence’s son Francois told the Financial Times that the cash is to fund Asian expansion.  “We are operating at the pinnacle of the luxury goods, diamonds and jewellery business, and the consumers that we attract are extremely insulated to the general gyrations of the world economy and the Chinese economy.”  Turns out the mega-rich are increasing their wealth at over 10% pa.  Plenty of disposable income to drop on diamonds, Dylan Lewis cat sculptures (above) and vinous jewels, renewable as opposed to non-renewable resources, being made by that master craftsman, Morné Vrey.