Graff’s 1963: A High Jewellery Homage to the Swinging Sixties

It began with a revolution - of music, of hemlines, of diamonds.

Graff’s latest high jewellery suite, simply titled 1963, takes its name from the year the House was founded. Unveiled this July at Paris Haute Couture Week, it’s less a retrospective than a full-bodied celebration of craftsmanship, cultural shift, and luminous possibility.

The 1960s were seismic. In London, where Graff originated, youth culture exploded with colour and rebellion. Art broke away from the gallery walls. Fashion discarded structure. Jewellery followed suit: suddenly, ornamentation was personal, playful, powerful.

Graff’s 1963 suite captures that tension between tradition and transformation. Three pieces — a necklace, bracelet, and earrings — radiate with over 7,700 diamonds, set in hypnotic concentric ovals. There’s rhythm here. Precision. A graphic boldness that feels almost kinetic.

Each stone, from brilliant-cut rounds to custom baguettes, is individually placed to form a pulsating geometry of light. But it’s not just sparkle. Peer closer, and within the white gold architecture, you’ll spot a secret: a hidden line of pavé emeralds, Graff’s signature green, visible only to the intimately observant.

High Jewellery, and why does it matter?
At its essence, haute joaillerie represents the summit of artistic expression in jewellery. These are not everyday luxuries, but wearable works of art. The stones are rare. The craftsmanship, obsessive. The process can take thousands of hours.

High jewellery isn’t about trend — it’s about timeless technique. And often, as with Graff’s 1963, it tells a story. Of legacy. Of evolution. Of a house returning to its roots, not out of nostalgia, but as a statement of who it has become.

“This is one of the most complex suites we’ve ever created,” said Francois Graff. “It represents our journey, and our future.” It’s a fitting comment. There’s nothing retrospective about this set. The vibe is forward.

For readers of GstaadLife, who understand the quiet drama of true luxury, there’s something magnetic in that balance between restraint and spectacle. The hidden emeralds. The nearly psychedelic symmetry. The craftsmanship that reveals itself only gradually.

Jeanette Wichmann