The Kazanjian Foundation encourages donations of jewelry for charitable purposes

THE KAZANJIAN FOUNDATION HISTORY

Jewels For Charity

Jewels for Charity is an exclusive program offered by the Kazanjian Foundation, the charitable arm of the prominent jewelry company, Kazanjian Bros., Inc. The Kazanjian Foundation, a 501 c (3) non-profit organization, was established in 1957 to support scientific, artistic, cultural and other worthy causes with an emphasis on programs for disadvantaged children and underprivileged youth. The Foundation has supported the creation of two publications on ethics, now in progress, one a workbook for young adolescents and the other a guide for adults in a position to foster ethical values in teenagers. The Foundation has also sponsored mini-courses in ethics for junior high school students in disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles.

Founders Harry and James Kazanjian immigrated in 1912 to the United States and made the American dream a reality. Harry had learned gem cutting in France, and ultimately both brothers traveled the world in search of very large, fine and rare gems. Their business success led to the creation of a Foundation. Deeply affected by our nation's liberties and impressed by the strengths of its leaders, they carved four of the world's largest sapphires into busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower. A 4,180-carat sapphire rough was sculpted into a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the late 1950's, the busts were presented to the American people as a gift of appreciation. Today they reside in the White House on display in the Oval Office.

In 1950, James and Harry acquired a massive ruby weighing more than seven pounds. At the time it was the largest ruby to be unearthed. The Kazanjian brothers carved the ruby into a magnificent rendering of the Liberty Bell, protected under the wings of an American Bald Eagle. Fifty round diamonds frame the bell, representing the fifty States in the Union. It was finished in time to be presented for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

Finally, a lost and legendary very rare gem now known as the Kazanjian Red Diamond is now the centerpiece of the Kazanjian Foundation. Of the rarest of hues, this 5.05 ct. red diamond is one of only three know to exist in the world, and is currently on exhibit at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

Jewels for Charity and the Hollywood Collection

The Kazanjian Foundation, through its Jewels for Charity program, specializes in encouraging donations of jewelry and fine collectibles for charitable purposes. Donors can realize the highest deduction allowed by law. Through Jewels for Charity, the Kazanjian Foundation markets and sells the donated jewelry, passing 100 percent of the proceeds to charitable causes. This program makes the donation process simple and rewarding, helping individuals assist those less fortunate.

In the past charities sold fine jewelry at liquidation rates, often as low as ten to twenty cents on the dollar. Jewels for Charity enables individuals and charities to obtain full fair market value for donated jewelry. Through this program individuals can often realize more through a tax benefit than by selling jewelry outright to any of the top 100 charities.

Here’s how the Jewels for Charity program works. To qualify, donated jewelry must have a value of $10,000 per item or more, and preferably of a pre-1970 vintage. For items under $10,000, the Kazanjians will appraise the jewelry at no cost to the charities receiving the benefit. Items valued at $10,000 and above require an independent appraisal before acceptance.

The Kazanjian Foundation sponsors the Jewels for Charity Hollywood Collection Tour featuring prized jewelry formerly owned by Hollywood’s A-list celebrities including Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Eva Gabor, Howard Hughes, Franklin Roosevelt and Madonna, among others. The Jewels for Charity Hollywood Collection is making the rounds of select venues worldwide and recently was presented at The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, California, in Naples Florida and in Singapore at the Mondial boutique.

The touring Hollywood Collection provides each venue with an opportunity to market and raise monies for charity, offering the public a chance to view priceless and notable items that tell a story and mark a period when onscreen luxury matched the charmed lives of celebrities; included items are an 18K Cartier wrist watch presented to screen legend Clark Gable by his fifth wife, former Kay Williams Spreckles. The back of the case bears the inscription, “Pa Darling. I love you with all my heart.” Kathleen 2/1/58. A pocket watch given to Gable by Marion Davies is included in the Collection and is engraved, “To Clark, Remember Me? Love Marion.” Gable’s gift to third wife, actress Carolyn Lombard, is a gold 1930’s Edwardian motif cigarette case with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds elegantly framing the monogram, “LG” for Lombard and Gable. There is a 14K yellow gold cigarette case that was presented to Gable by Capital Theatre with the actor’s initials “CG” traced in diamonds on the cover. And finally, Gable’s yellow gold and sapphire cuff links are part of the Collection.

The Hollywood Collection also includes pieces from modern day celebrities such as the $300,000 Edwardian diamond tiara worn by Madonna on her wedding day to Guy Ritchie which was loaned to the singer/actress by Asprey & Garrard. The piece dates back to 1910 and features 765 old-cut diamonds of about 78 carats and two larger diamonds weighing approximately 2.5 carats. Another popular item is a Victorian snake necklace set with old-cut diamonds, rubies and blue enamel details that was reported to have belonged to English actress Joan Collins, worn in her role as Alexis Carrington in the Aaron Spelling TV series, Dynasty.

The Collection showcases many more items including various gifts that eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes gave to wife Terry Moore, known for her starring role in the film, Mighty Joe Young (1949) and an Oscar nomination for her performance in Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). Other memorable pieces in the lot are the retro-aquamarine bangle bracelet that Hughes rewarded Moore with after she made her first solo flight and a 50-carat aquamarine matching ring. Hughes taught Moore to fly, so the hue of the aquamarine represented the sky. When Moore gave up sweets for two months, Hughes gifted her with a pair of antique diamond earrings, also part of the Collection along with other gifts that she received from Hughes.

This unique touring Hollywood Collection also features the amazing 8,500 carat Liberty Bell Ruby. Standing 5 ½ inches tall, the Liberty Bell Ruby was sculptured out of a 7 lb. rough ruby considered at the time by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the largest ruby ever unearthed. It is the only museum collection in which every item is listed for sale. All proceeds go to charity, thanks to the underwriting commitment of the Kazanjian family.

Today the Kazanjian Foundation continues in the spirit of its founders to help provide education and opportunity to others via a strategic partnership with New York-based Jewelers for Children, a non-profit organization that raises money in the fine jewelry and watch industries. Together, the two organizations help turn old treasured jewelry into the treasure of life and provide a gift of love for children in need.