From the Color of Dollars to the Color of Diamonds: Kurt Nassau Serves as Materials Consultant
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From the Color of Dollars to the Color of Diamonds: Kurt Nassau Serves as Materials Consultant In fact, it changed the donation laws. From the color of dollars to the color of Another of Nassau’s cases involving diamonds, Kurt Nassau has served as a the government concerned counterfeitconsultant on a number of fascinating ing. The National Academy of Sciences projects—a career that began while he asked Nassau to serve on a panel for the was working as a researcher for Bell Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The Laboratories. area Nassau was to address was the issue Nassau arrived in the United States of color. He recommended the Mint from England in 1948 and spent three make bills more difficult to counterfeit by years in medical research at the Walter using colored inks. The work was someReed Army Medical Center. It was then what counter-productive as the panel’s he decided to go back to graduate school recommendations were printed and disand in 1959 earned his PhD degree in closed publicly. As Nassau put it, “Any physical chemistry from the University of forger could buy them for $20.” But on a Pittsburgh. While working on his thesis, more positive note, he said that his parhe had an offer to work for Bell Labs. ticipation did have personal benefits, Nassau spent 30 very productive and suc“We had talks from the FBI, from the cessful years with Bell, working primarily CIA, from Interpol, and saw the Printing with laser materials and crystal growth Office all the way from top to bottom.” projects. His first project involved calcium Several of Nassau’s consulting cases tungstate (scheelite), where he grew the involved priceless—and worthless— first Nd-containing laser crystal. Nassau gemstones. said that when he discovered that the Kurt Nassau A Chinese merchant from Singapore materials he grew in the laboratory also had sold about a million dollars worth of occurred in nature, he next studied minSupreme Tax Court where Nassau testiblue gems. The buyer then questioned erals and gems on his own. This led to his fied as a consultant, naming the donation their authenticity. These particular stones interest in the mechanisms that produced “medi ocre.” It became known as the could have been irradiated, and might fade color in these materials, and his hobbies “Dubin Case” (Dubin vs IRS) and is still when exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, of color and gems were born. cited in court cases involving donations. all of Nassau’s research did not affect the So how did he become a consultant? final verdict. A legal technicality He had no choice in the matter. involving the contract for the sale Nassau returned from lunch of the gems did. one afternoon to his laboratory One of Nassau’s more humorat Bell when his assistant said, ous cases involving gems oc “The chief attorney at the IRS curred when the Gemo logical wants to speak with you.” As Institute of America asked Nassau Nassau recalled, “That’s a very to resolve some slight problems disturbing thing.” But it turned they faced with a particular ruby. out that they did not wa
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