Graff’s Tribal Collection | Classic Chicago Magazine

By Stuart Dyer

It was the perfect antidote to a rainy summer day in Chicago – a luncheon at the Graff store on Oak Street to introduce ’Tribal’, its newest jewelry collection. The luncheon was hosted by Marc Hruschka (Graff USA President and CEO), Eve Rogers (Graff Director), and Shawna Owen (President of Huffman Travel). The afternoon started with a reception and viewing of the Tribal collection where champagne and hors d’oeuvres were passed. Guests then moved upstairs where they were treated to a beautiful sit-down lunch. Mark Hruschka welcomed guests, Shawna Owen spoke about the importance of travel and Eve Rogers spoke about the Tribal collection.

Eve Rogers, Marc Hruschka, Shawna Owen

Tribal is Graff’s interpretation of the ancient folktale, ‘The Girl Who Created The Stars’. It pays homage to mankind’s fascination with heavenly bodies and its attempt to explain them. Fittingly, Tribal launched on March 20, 2021 – the Spring Equinox. Within Tribal there are three collections that reimagine celestial symbols and introduce new motifs to the brand including The Graff Gateway which features sculptural gateway designs representing portals between the past and the future, the earth and the stars; New Dawn which was inspired by a sunrise breaking over the horizon; and Night Moon which features diamonds formed into half-moon shaped clusters and symbolizes the moon shining in the night sky. The jewels in the collection are stunning masterpieces. They mostly use white and yellow diamonds, with the exception of one emerald necklace and earrings set. The necklace alone is composed of 418 carats of outstanding rare and exceptionally matched emeralds.

Graff Tribal necklace with Night Moon motif

The guests at the luncheon not only had the opportunity to view and learn about the stunning jewels from Tribal, they also had the opportunity to try them on. When the luncheon was over, the rain outside reminded everyone of the power of the celestial skies. It also made leaving the sparkling, luminous world of Graff to go back to the reality that much more difficult. Graff, however, was prepared and made the transition a bit easier by offering each guest a beautiful umbrella – a nod to Graff’s sense of perfection. As Laurence Graff said, “I always believed, right from the beginning, if you are going to do something, do it the best.” They certainly have done their best with Tribal!