Hairdresser teams up with graff diamonds to recreate iconic image

Hairdresser Eamonn Hughes worked with Graff Diamonds to recreate the iconic Hair & Jewel image - with the finished result worth half a billion dollars. Created to mark the 60th anniversary of diamond jeweller, Laurence Graff, the image is a recreation of a shoot from 1970, which saw a model wearing $1 million of diamonds and gems in her hair. The 2013 version features model Dalia Gunther wearing 22 rare jewels, including a 52.73-carat vivid yellow emerald cut diamond ring and a selection of jewellery crafted from the 550ct Letšeng Star, the 14th largest white rough diamond ever discovered. Commenting on the original creation of Hair & Jewel, Laurence Graff said: "At that time, this was a highly original concept which captured the attention of the world's media and was seen in newspapers and magazines around the globe. "Until this time, images showing fine jewellery were typically modelled in a more conservative style. This image broke the mould by using a younger model and created the idea of diamonds being aspirational to younger women." Originally a sculptor before turning his hand to hairdressing, Eamonn assists Sam McKnight and has worked on films including Notes on a Scandal with Cate Blanchett. The original style was created by Harold Leighton, who says: "Creating this story was the most nerve-racking thing I'd ever done - no one had ever been given a million dollars of jewels to work with; certainly not a hairdresser. Laurence had a revolver with him and somewhere I have the photograph of him holding it alongside me and the model!" Graff Diamonds/Rex Features