The Kazanjian Red Diamond, previously known as the Red Diamond, is a 5.05-carat

red diamond A red diamond is a diamond which displays red colour and exhibits the same mineral properties as colourless diamonds. Red diamonds are commonly known as the most expensive and the rarest diamond colour in the world, even more so than pink or bl ...

. It was found in South Africa in the 1920s, and was cut in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. The

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

seized the diamond during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was rediscovered after the war, and changed owners multiple times before it was bought in 2007 by the Kazanjian Brothers.

Description

The Kazanjian Red Diamond is a 5.05- carat emerald-cut red diamond.

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

diamonds are the rarest type of colored diamond. The diamond measures on the sides, and in depth. It is the second-largest red diamond ever found, behind only the 5.11-carat

Moussaieff Red Diamond The Moussaieff Red Diamond (formerly known as the Red Shield Diamond) is a diamond measuring 5.11 carats (1.022 g) with a triangular brilliant cut (sometimes called a trillion or a trilliant cut), rated in color as Fancy Red by the Gemological In ...

History

In the mid-1920s (possibly 1927), during a

diamond rush A diamond rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area where diamonds were newly discovered. Major diamond rushes took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in South Africa and South-West Africa. Diamond rushes by chrono ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, a 35-carat piece of

boart Bort, boart, or boort is an umbrella term used in the diamond industry to refer to shards of non-gem-grade/quality diamonds. In the manufacturing and heavy industries, "bort" is used to describe dark, imperfectly formed or crystallized diamond ...

was found in

Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen. Overview The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin ...

. The boart was sent to Goudvis Brothers, a firm in

. There was initial disagreement over whether the boart was of any worth. Seven months were spent polishing and examining the stone, and the final 5.05-carat emerald-cut diamond was completed. It was said that the diamond had the appearance of "a drop of blood" when held near a candle. Tiffany & Co. offered $100,000 for the diamond, but the Goudvis Brothers declined the offer, because they wanted $150,000. When

began, it was locked in a safe in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

. In 1944, however, the

, who

occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...

the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, confiscated the diamond. It was then taken to Germany and placed in a

salt mine Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. The mined salt is usually in the form of halite (commonly known as rock salt), and extracted from evaporite formations. History Before the advent of the modern internal combustio ...

in Berchtesgaden, near a retreat belonging to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. The Nazis had also hidden some other stolen items in the mine. After the war ended, Joseph McNarney, an American general, found the diamond and thought it was a

ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called ...

. After it was discovered that the stone was not a ruby, it was returned to the Goudvis Brothers' estate, which was in debt as a result of the war. The diamond was sold for 57,000

guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' "gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Emp ...

to George Prins, a broker.

Sir Ernest Oppenheimer Sir Ernest Oppenheimer (22 May 1880 – 25 November 1957), Order of Saint John (chartered 1888), KStJ was a diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers Consolidated Mines, De Beers and founded the ...

bought the diamond, and later sold it to the

Royal Asscher Diamond Company The Royal Asscher Diamond Company ( nl, Koninklijke Asscher Diamant Maatschappij) was founded in 1854 by the Asscher family of gemcutters. The company is responsible for cutting some of the most famous diamonds in the world including two of the ...

. It was then purchased by a private collector. In February 2007, upon identifying the diamond, the Kazanjian Brothers, a jewelry company in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

, purchased the diamond from a woman in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. The diamond, which was previously known as the "Red Diamond", was then named the "Kazanjian Red Diamond". The diamond is now displayed around the world to raise funds for charity efforts.

References

{{reflist Diamonds originating in South Africa Red diamonds Individual diamonds

Description

History

See also

References