Origin of Name
The Kahn Canary diamond gets its name from Stan Kahn, of
Kahn Jewelers in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who purchased the unnamed diamond
from its founder, George Stepp of Carthage Arkansas. The name of the
diamond combines the name of the owner with the rare intense yellow color of
the diamond, known as canary yellow.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The Kahn Canary has been preserved in its natural rough
state because of its unique natural triangular pillow shape, with its rare
canary yellow color, that radiates a brightness and brilliance that equals
or perhaps surpasses a cut and polished diamond. The diamond appears to be
flawless. The weight of the diamond is unknown. The uniqueness of the
diamond in its natural uncut form has made it the unofficial symbol of
Arkansas State, nicknamed "The Natural State."
All yellow colored diamonds are Type I diamonds, because
they contain nitrogen impurities that impart the yellow color to diamonds.
Almost 98 % of all natural diamonds contain nitrogen impurities and are
therefore classified as Type I diamonds. The remaining 1-2 % of natural
diamonds that do not contain nitrogen impurities are known as Type II
diamonds.
Type I diamonds are sub-divided in two :- Type I a and
Type I b.
The basis for this division is whether the nitrogen atoms
are distributed as single atoms or groups of atoms in the crystal structure.
Type I a :- Nitrogen atoms found as groups of
atoms. 98 % of all natural diamonds belong to this group.
Type I b :- Nitrogen atoms scattered as single
atoms. Only 0.1 % of natural diamonds belong to this group.
When nitrogen atoms are scattered as single atoms in the
crystal structure, they absorb visible light in the blue end of the spectrum
imparting an intense yellow color to the diamonds. The rare canary yellow
belongs to this group.
Thus canary yellow diamonds are Type I b diamonds that
constitute only 0.1 % of all naturally occurring diamonds. Therefore the
Kahn Canary is also a rare Type I b diamond. Two of the most famous canary
yellow diamonds in the world are, the 205.07-carat Red Cross diamond and the
128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow diamond.
History
The Kahn Canary diamond was discovered by George Stepp of
Carthage, Arkansas, in the Crater of Diamonds State Park, near Murfreesboro,
Arkansas, in 1977. Crater of Diamonds State Park, is the world's only
publicly-owned diamond prospecting site, where visitors are allowed to
search for diamonds and other gems, for a fee, and keep what they find,
regardless of the value of the gems. This liberal policy adopted by the
State Authorities, had yielded rich dividends, by boosting tourist
attractions to the State, and the park undoubtedly has become the
State's biggest tourist attraction. One is but compelled to compare this
liberal policy with the situation that prevailed in South Africa, in the
early days of diamond prospecting, when individual diamond prospectors and
diggers were subjected to exorbitant and arbitrary taxes on their finds,
which tended to discourage mining and hide the valuable finds.
The search area of the Crater of Diamonds State Park is a
36½ acre site, which is believed to be the eroded
surface of a gem-bearing volcanic pipe known as the Prairie Creek Kimberlite
pipe. Kimberlites, which are a type of igneous rock are mica Peridotites
that are found in pipes. They are rare occurrences in cratonic (stable),
areas of the earth's crust. The stable interiors of South Africa and Siberia
have wide spread occurrences, but these pipes are also found in North
America, Australia, Brazil, and India. Not all Kimberlites contain diamonds.
When diamonds do occur, they constitute less than one part per million of
the rock.
In the Crater of Diamonds State
Park, besides diamonds other precious and semi-precious stones such as
garnets, amethysts, agate, jasper, quartz etc, have also been found.
The Kahn Canary was lent to Hilary
Clinton, to wear, on two ceremonial occasions, one, her husband Bill Clinton's
inauguration as the Governor of Arkansas, and the other, the inauguration of
Bill Clinton as the President of the United States of America. For this
purpose the diamond was mounted on a ring custom-designed for Mrs. Clinton.
The picture shows the diamond in this ring setting.
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