THEIVES USE A BENTLEY TO ROB THE GRAFF DIAMOND HOUSE

Stepping from a chauffeur-driven Bentley Continental Flying Spur, two gentlemen with a very affluent demeanor looked every bit the affluent kind of shopper welcomed through the Palladian-style doorway of Graff, the opulent jewellers on London's Sloane Street. But after passing through an airlock and past two security guards, the pair turned out to be somewhat different from the average customer, pulling a pair of silver handguns and demanding that staff hand over more than £10m worth of diamonds and gem-studded jewellery.

Pretending to be wealthy diamond buyers, they talked to staff before drawing their guns and demanding they hand over the gems.

The men grabbed handfuls of rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings and diamonds before leaving the store and walking out on to the street. They are believed to have been aged between 40 and 55 and are described as between 5ft 10ins and 6ft and of stocky build. Images of the stolen jewels were released yesterday and show drop earrings encrusted with dozens of diamonds as well as necklaces worth more than £1m, along with rings.

Graff is one of the most famous diamond merchants in the world and its list of clients include the Beckhams, Naomi Campbell, Mike Tyson and Ivana Trump. The company - owned by Laurence Graff, known as "the King of Diamonds" - employs 70 people to make unique pieces in its London workshops, as well as 300 in South Africa. Each of its diamonds is inscribed and lasered with a code on the stone's girdle, making them easily identifiable if they were to be offered for sale on the diamond market.