National Museum of Natural History / Photo from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Diamonds are known for their extraordinary cut and brilliance; the famous large 45.52 carats blue Hope Diamond is no exception either. But what sets it apart from its other dazzling counterparts is the eerie legend of curse attached to it. Currently displayed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C, the Hope Diamond originally came from the Kollur mine in Golconda and belonged to the statue of the deity Sita in India. Ever since it was stolen from the Indian temple, it passed through several hands, touching each with its cursed heritage.
The greatly disputed ‘curse’ of the Hope Diamond entailing a trail of death or misfortune of its owners is said to have befallen the blue gem from the very moment it was stolen by the widely traveled French jeweler Jean Baptiste Tavernier in 1642. Right after selling it to Louis XIV, Tavernier met his tragic end in his next trip to India where wild dogs ripped him into pieces. The diamond received the royal title ‘Blue Diamond of the Crown’ and new cuts that turned it into a heart-shaped stone of 67-1/8 carats.
The Hope Diamond / Photo from amandanichole
The misfortune carried by the Hope Diamond struck again when it was inherited by Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette. After a disturbing and unstable reign, both were beheaded during the French Revolution of 1789. During this French political crisis, the royal jewelries including the Hope Diamond were placed in the Garde-Meuble from where they were repeatedly stolen. With time, the rest of the jewels were retrieved but the notorious blue diamond went amiss for some time.
45.52 Carat, deep blue diamond. Est. Value: $250 million. / Photo from absolutwade
Before it was seen again in London, the Hope Diamond probably went into the possession of the Spanish Queen Maria Louisa in 1800. During that period, it was reshaped by the Dutch jeweler Wilhelm Fals. He died of sheer grief when the diamond was stolen by his son Hendrick, who went on to commit suicide under the cursed influence of the diamond. Thereafter, the diamond was bought by Henry Philip Hope in 1813 and has been called the ‘Hope Diamond’ since then.
The diamond left its trail of misfortunes in the Hope family by stripping it of its prosperity and leading on to bankruptcy. After the death of Henry Hope, the diamond was passed on to his grandson Lord Francis Hope who tried repeatedly to get permission from the court to sell it. In 1901, his request was finally granted when he had reached the worst stage of gambling and bankruptcy.
Photo from Piedmont Fossil
Meantime, the Hope Diamond claimed some more unfortunate famous victims. The Hope passed from the hands of the Russian prince Kanitowski to French actor Lorens Ladue whom he shot dead on stage. He was not himself spared by the revolutionaries who stabbed him later. Its Greek owner Simon Montharides was plunged with his family into a precipice in an automobile accident. Even the Turkish Sultan Abdul-Hamid II who possessed the Hope diamond for a short time encountered dethronement in 1909.
Hope Diamond by HarshLight.
The Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. / Photo from HarshLight
The Hope Diamond traveled to the United State of America with jeweler Simon Frankel and went to jeweler Pierre Cartier, who looked for a prospective buyer. His search ended with the rich and eccentric social figure Evalyn Walsh McLean, who agreed to buy it after hearing the curious tales of its cursed legacy. She was determined to turn it into a good luck charm but encountered too many family blows as its owner. Her son died in a car accident, her daughter committed suicide while her husband went insane and died in the confines of a mental hospital.
Photo from primplan
After the death of Evalyn McLean, the Hope Diamond was put to sale in 1949 and bought by a New York jeweler named Harry Winston. Perhaps affected by the tales of its curse, Winston made up his mind to donate the diamond to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which is its present destination.
The hope diamond exhibit / Photo from noxipoo
It is said that the curse of the Hope Diamond was so strong that when it was delivered to the museum in a plain brown box by the USPS mail carrier James Todd, he faced leg injuries run over by a truck. Further tragedies unfolded on Todd as his wife died of a cardiac arrest, his dog died strangled by its leash and finally his house was burnt down by a fire.
May Yohe, the actor who is supposedly the last of the Hopes; tried to build on the cursed legend of the Hope Diamond by creating a 15-episode serial – “The Hope Diamond Mystery”. The serial included her personal misfortunes caused by the possession of the Hope Diamond along with a score of fictional characters posed as the victims of the Hope Diamond curse. Although her efforts to hog limelight through the Hope Diamond did not bear fruit, the fact remains that the Hope Diamond has at its wake the tragedies of many non-famous jewelers and intermediaries who were somehow involved in its handling.
Photo from lucasc
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30 Comments, Comment or Ping
By George posted on Apr 29th, 2009
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Awesome diamonds. Having one of these could surely lead you to some curse
By Amy Wagner posted on May 4th, 2009
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One can only imagine owning diamonds like that, but not having the curse that goes with it.
By Tkaniny Obiciowe posted on May 7th, 2009
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Curse or no I'd love to get my hands on a diamond like this. They're beautiful!
By fun-da-mental posted on May 11th, 2009
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I HOPE reading this article doesn't curse me…
By Barbara posted on Jun 4th, 2009
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I do not rise above for cursed diamonds, but I would go that took is remove damn and I will be a rich
)
By ebook store posted on Jun 13th, 2009
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The Hope Diamond is a large, 45.52-carat,[1] fancy deep grayish-blue diamond, currently housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence under ultraviolet light[2][3] It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is famous for supposedly being cursed.
By tiffanys posted on Jun 24th, 2009
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its so beautful like it,hope i could give my wife one!!!
By rentdn posted on Jun 25th, 2009
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Tiffanys It seems that you're crazy about your wife , if you want to give her such peice of art
By مركز تحميل posted on Jun 30th, 2009
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waw nice nice thanks
By Amy Wagner | Camping posted on Jul 1st, 2009
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Rentdn you have to be right there he must love his wife an awful lot I wish that my other half loved me half as much
By ebook store posted on Jul 3rd, 2009
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I have heard a lot about it, all of the misfortunes. Bankruptcy, wife and child deaths, houses burning down. Is the diamond really bad luck? I doubt 200 years of misfortune is a coincidence.
By ed hardy posted on Jul 3rd, 2009
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@Tiffanys
you know how much this will cost you????priceless possibly o_o!!!!
By Desktop Publishing posted on Jul 20th, 2009
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Can the hope dimond curse be reversed by cutting and sticking the dimond back into the eye in which it came from?
By ED Hardy posted on Jul 22nd, 2009
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you know how much this will cost you????priceless possibly o_o!!!!
By Fatty posted on Jul 23rd, 2009
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Diamonds are mysterious!
By jane@reminderforfree posted on Jul 26th, 2009
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Acording to the legend, a curse befell the large, blue diamond when it was plucked (i.e. stolen) from an idol in India – a curse that foretold bad luck and death not only for the owner of the diamond but for all who touched it.
By juicyjewelrysale posted on Jul 28th, 2009
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if you want to buy juicy couture jewelry ! you can visit http://www.juicyjewelrysale.com
By Furniture posted on Jul 28th, 2009
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The hope diamond is a beautiful jewel. Bestt thing about hope diamond is, not killed anyone whenever it bought from one person to another and it never killed the person who owned the hope diamond
By Court Reporters posted on Aug 3rd, 2009
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Hope diamond looks really extraordinary and amazing. Interesting post about diamond.
By NJ Injury Lawyer posted on Aug 14th, 2009
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I wonder what kind of security measures they have in place for the Hope Diamond. I can just imagine thermal security with laser movement sensors and a huge steel gate that encloses the diamond after the museum closes haha.
By Buy PSP Go posted on Aug 17th, 2009
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This is a little eerie, much like the curse of Tutankhamen's tomb.
By tiffany posted on Sep 7th, 2009
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so beautiful, if i have enough money, i would like to buy one for my wife….
By Sonido en Vivo posted on Sep 8th, 2009
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is beautiful and good history…byeeeeeeeee
By christian louboutin posted on Sep 15th, 2009
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How beautiful it is. i want get they when i sleep as the christian louboutin that is nobody can ignore the existence.
By jonatan posted on Sep 15th, 2009
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good jewel!
By produccion musical posted on Sep 17th, 2009
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i love the diamons , and this is sooo nice but dangerous!
By Sofacama posted on Sep 17th, 2009
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woow! nice post…i like the jewels
By link building posted on Oct 3rd, 2009
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Interesting story.
By free advertising posted on Oct 11th, 2009
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Oh, keep it away, keep it away… Keep it away…
If my wife sees those beauties… I am in hot waters…
By archana posted on Oct 16th, 2009
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Awesome Diamonds I love this
30 Responses to “The Curse of the Hope Diamond”
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