Kazanjian Red Diamond

The Kazanjian Red Diamond is a 5.05-carat emerald-cut red diamond. Red diamonds are the rarest type of colored diamond.[1] The diamond measures 0.39 inches (9.9 mm) on the sides, and 0.23 inches (5.8 mm) in depth.[2] It is the second-largest red diamond ever found,[3] behind only the 5.11-carat Moussaieff Red Diamond.[4]

In the mid-1920s (possibly 1927[5]), during a diamond rush in South Africa, a 35-carat piece of boart was found in Lichtenberg.[1][3] The boart was sent to Goudvis Brothers, a firm in Amsterdam. There was initial disagreement over whether the boart was of any worth.[6] 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.[1] Tiffany & Co. offered $100,000 for the diamond, but the Goudvis Brothers declined the offer, because they wanted $150,000.[6] When World War II began, it was locked in a safe in Arnhem. In 1944, however, the Nazis, who occupied the Netherlands, confiscated the diamond.[1] It was then taken to Germany[1] and placed in a salt mine in Berchtesgaden, near a retreat belonging to Adolf Hitler.[2] The Nazis had also hidden some other stolen items in the mine.[6] After the war ended, Joseph McNarney, an American general, found the diamond and thought it was a ruby.[6] 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 to George Prins, a broker. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer bought the diamond, and later sold it to the Royal Asscher Diamond Company. It was then purchased by a private collector. In February 2007, upon identifying the diamond, the Kazanjian Brothers, a jewelry company in Beverly Hills, purchased the diamond from a woman in East Asia.[6] The diamond, which was previously known as the "Red Diamond",[3] was then named the "Kazanjian Red Diamond". The diamond is now displayed around the world to raise funds for charity efforts.[6]

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