“King of Diamonds” Laurence Graff, founder and chairman of world-renowned jewelry brand Graff Diamonds, has purchased the 476-carat Meya Prosperity Diamond for $16.5 million. The 29th largest diamond ever uncovered, and the 5th largest from Sierra Leone; the Meya Prosperity Diamond was recently discovered in the Kono District by Meya Mining, a company jointly owned by Trustco Resources and Germinate Sierra Leone.
Graff Diamonds has now acquired, cut and polished most of the top 21 largest stones of the 21st century. Next comes the intense process of assessing and potentially cutting these colossal gems to shine in pieces of jewelry—a process that is familiar to the brand.
In a press release issued by Graff Diamonds, Laurence Graff said, “The brand’s expert team will now spend several months analyzing the Meya Prosperity, discovering the remarkable potential that lies beneath its depths. We will take extreme care with it, as we do with all of our beautiful diamonds. The coming months will bring much excitement as we begin to unveil the results of cutting and polishing these incredible stones. We will soon reveal some of the most fabulous and valuable diamonds that the world has ever seen.”
