Meet the twins

A pair of diamonds from Graff stand out, even in a crowded market

By Charlie McCann

On a spring evening, at dusk, look halfway up the western sky for a constellation that resembles two matchstick men holding hands. Gemini (Latin for “twins”) is named for its two brightest stars, the mythical twins Castor and Pollux. Unlike Pollux, Castor was mortal, and when he died, his grief-stricken brother asked Zeus if he could share his immortality with him. Taking pity, Zeus reunited them in the heavens, where they have stood side by side ever since.

Or so we thought. Two years ago, miners in Botswana discovered a diamond the size and shape of an egg, from which – under the ministrations of gemologists at Graff – emerged two 50.23-carat diamonds, identical in cut and polish. Set into a pair of earrings, the “Eternal Twins”, as Graff named them, now dangle at the end of a cluster of diamonds, the brightest points in a radiant constellation of light.

PHOTOGRAPH ISABELLE BONJEAN STYLIST MELANIE GRANTMODEL: YOON AT MODELS 1 HAIR & MAKEUP: KAMANZA AMIHYIA

Discover more

1843 magazine | “I’m afraid I will lose my babies”: diary of a pregnant woman in Gaza

Soumaya had planned a perfect start in life for her twins. This is what happened instead

1843 magazine | Djibouti, the port-state squeezed by the Houthis’ Red Sea campaign

While warships protect cargo, migrants trying to reach the Middle East are on their own


1843 magazine | How a trucker became a deadly people smuggler

Transporting undocumented migrants across America can seem like easy money – until everything goes wrong