Adventure of mysterious red diamond

The American Museum of Natural History has just exhibited one of three rare red diamonds in the world.

Kazanjian red diamond in the American Museum of Natural History. (Photo: Livescience.)

Livescience said that among the colors of diamonds, red is a rare and mysterious color because no one knows for sure its origin or structure.

One in three red diamonds that humans know has a mass of 5 carats (1 gram). It is on display in the American Museum of Natural History. This diamond, called Kazanjian , is crimson like rubies or garnet stones. People used to mistake the red diamond Kazanjian for rubies for nearly a century.

Kazanjian was found in South Africa in the late 20s. After crossing many hands, it was taken to Amsterdam in the Netherlands - where goldsmiths began crafting it. After 7 months of research and polishing, they created a diamond smaller than the original stone. They wanted to sell the stone but failed. In 1944 the Nazis occupied the Netherlands and confiscated all precious objects, including a diamond. After the war, it was found near the resort of Adolf Hitler fascist at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany. Then an American general mistook it for rubies.

The red diamond is returned to goldsmiths in the Netherlands. Their descendants sell diamonds to pay off debts. Then people don't know where it is. In 2007 a company called Kazanjian Brothers bought a diamond and from there it was called Kazanjian.

Diamonds are crystals in which each carbon atom (C) binds to four other C atoms. Diamonds with light colored streaks are called colored diamonds. If the diamond is very bold, they will be called " brightly colored ". The color of diamonds is created by the presence of impurities. In its structure, any C atom in the lattice is replaced by an atom of another element.

' People like diamonds with brilliant colors. Brown gems don't attract the attention of the discerning world , 'said George Harlow, an expert at the American Museum of Natural History.

For brown diamonds and red diamonds, scientists think they have holes in the crystal. If C atoms are replaced by Nitrogen (N) atoms, diamonds may also be brown. However, according to Harlow, this hypothesis has not been verified.