The hope diamond
The Hope Diamond is regarded as the most famous diamond in the world. It is also one of the most valuable. This lustrous fancy blue diamond has had many titles including the King’s Jewel, the Tavernier Blue, the French Blue and a far less complimentary, the Cursed Diamond. Yes, legend has it that the Hope Diamond carries a terrible curse within it. Journeying through the hands of multiple owners from India to France to England and America, it always left an indelible mark behind each time. Let’s dive right into its fascinating tale.
The story of the mystifying diamond takes us all the way back to the 17th century when it was excavated from deep within the southern Indian soil in the Golconda region. The Hope diamond was used to adorn a Hindu idol in India for its marvelous deep blue look and shine would make everyone admire its beauty. A priest recognized how valuable this diamond could be and was enticed into stealing it. He sold it to a French merchant who was visiting India. Within a few days of selling the diamond, the priest died an agonizing death due to illness.
The French merchant in question was Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, an explorer who had travelled to India seeking gemstones. The Golconda mines were known to produce abundant and unique colored diamonds. Tavernier’s quest, as we know, led him to possess the Hope Diamond, which he described as a “beautiful violet” diamond weighing 112 carats, “nearly the size of a man’s fist”. The diamond became known as the Tavernier Blue but it was not long before the curse appeared to strike again. Tavernier caught a deadly fever after he returned to France in 1668 and sold many gemstones along with the Hope Diamond to the French King Louis XIV.
Consequently, it became known as the King’s Jewel. Louis XIV had the diamond re-cut into a triangular shape weighing 67 carats and set in gold on a long ribbon. He wore the necklace on special occasions only. It attracted a lot of praise and the additional title of the French Blue. The joy was short-lived as the curse did not seem to spare Louis XIV who died a miserable death due to gangrene.
After his death, his great-grandson Louis XV reigned and ordered the court jeweler in 1749 to set the Hope Diamond in a majestic pendant for the Order of the Golden Fleece. When Louis XV died, his grandson Louis XVI succeeded to the throne. His wife, Marie Antoinette wore the Hope Diamond often. Both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were imprisoned and beheaded in the French Revolution. Had the curse struck again? During the revolution, the Hope Diamond was stolen from the royal treasury in 1792.
The diamond disappeared for almost a decade before suddenly resurfacing in England in 1839. It had been acquired by King George IV, who went down as the most unpopular king in the history of England. The diamond was sold off to pay off his significant debts when he died of gastro internal bleeding. One could say the curse was still going strong. The proud new owner was Henry Philip Hope, a wealthy banker in London. He too was not spared from the curse, and died within a couple of years. After Thomas’s death, the diamond continued to be passed down within the Hope family for many years. Some point to their loss of family fortune as evidence of the curse.
The Hope Diamond was eventually sold to Simon Frankel, an American jeweler in 1901, but its journey was far from complete. It continued to change hands (including the hands of a Turkish Sultan, an actress and a Russian count) before it reached Pierre Cartier. The diamond seemed to have brought misfortune to all. Pierre Cartier still managed to find a buyer for the Hope Diamond in one of the richest families of the United States. Evalyn Walsh McLean mentioned that objects that brought bad luck to others had brought good luck to her, and became convinced to purchase it. She wore the diamond often and eventually never went anywhere without it. Although she dismissed the notion of any curse, she did not allow her friends or family to touch it. Unfortunately, she did suffer from a lot of tragedy in her life, including her son’s death in a car accident.
When Evalyn died, Harry Winston bought the jewelry of her estate. He displayed the Hope Diamond at exhibitions and events for charity across the United States for nine years. Then, in 1958, he donated it to the Smithsonian. Today, the Hope Diamond continues to be one of the Smithsonian’s most popular attractions, and has more than seven million visitors a year. Both magnificent and mysterious, it leaves everyone in awe.