Arguably one of, if not THE most famous gemstone in the world, the Hope Diamond is a (now) 45.52 carat grayish-blue diamond that was first discovered in the 1600’s in an Indian mine.
No one is entirely sure who discovered the stone but the first owner of record is Tavernier, a French gem merchant. It is said that the gem was obtained along with a number of other stones during one of Tavernier’s voyages to India. The large stone that Tavernier took to his home in Paris was far from the stone that is found in the Smithsonian today. The then triangle shaped 115 carat uncut stone was referred to as the Tavernier Blue diamond. Records estimate that Tavernier sold the infamous diamond along with a number of others to King Louis XIV for a sum equivalent to 147 kg of gold and a patent of nobility.The gemstone eventually ended up in the possession of King Louis XIV, whose family experienced several misfortunes including the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Among those jewels stolen during the revolution was the French Blue. Some of the famed jewels would eventually be recovered, but the French Blue was believed to be lost for good. As the story goes, despite the fact that the treasured gem was lost, it still became cursed at the time of the King and Antoinette’s beheadings in 1793. The diamond was missing until around 1812, where it resurfaces in England re-cut into the now familiar Hope Diamond. The diamond eventually came into the hands of King George IV of England, who experienced an enormous amount of debt within his lifetime. To pay off his debts after his death, the diamond was sold through private channels and purchased by Henry Philip Hope, whom the diamond is named after. Similarly, Hope and his family accumulated a significant amount of debt and ultimately needed to sell the diamond. After passing through the hands of many owners, who eventually too had to sell it to pay off debts, the Hope Diamond sold to an American mining heiress and socialite, who experienced many misfortunes shortly after purchasing the gemstone. Her son died in a car accident. Her daughter died from a drug overdose. Her husband left her and died in a sanitarium. And ultimately, her family was forced to sell their newspaper in a bankruptcy auction.
It has been on display in the Smithsonian since 1958, and perhaps we should all agree to leave it there?
No one is entirely sure who discovered the stone but the first owner of record is Tavernier, a French gem merchant. It is said that the gem was obtained along with a number of other stones during one of Tavernier’s voyages to India. The large stone that Tavernier took to his home in Paris was far from the stone that is found in the Smithsonian today. The then triangle shaped 115 carat uncut stone was referred to as the Tavernier Blue diamond. Records estimate that Tavernier sold the infamous diamond along with a number of others to King Louis XIV for a sum equivalent to 147 kg of gold and a patent of nobility.The gemstone eventually ended up in the possession of King Louis XIV, whose family experienced several misfortunes including the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Among those jewels stolen during the revolution was the French Blue. Some of the famed jewels would eventually be recovered, but the French Blue was believed to be lost for good. As the story goes, despite the fact that the treasured gem was lost, it still became cursed at the time of the King and Antoinette’s beheadings in 1793. The diamond was missing until around 1812, where it resurfaces in England re-cut into the now familiar Hope Diamond. The diamond eventually came into the hands of King George IV of England, who experienced an enormous amount of debt within his lifetime. To pay off his debts after his death, the diamond was sold through private channels and purchased by Henry Philip Hope, whom the diamond is named after. Similarly, Hope and his family accumulated a significant amount of debt and ultimately needed to sell the diamond. After passing through the hands of many owners, who eventually too had to sell it to pay off debts, the Hope Diamond sold to an American mining heiress and socialite, who experienced many misfortunes shortly after purchasing the gemstone. Her son died in a car accident. Her daughter died from a drug overdose. Her husband left her and died in a sanitarium. And ultimately, her family was forced to sell their newspaper in a bankruptcy auction.
It has been on display in the Smithsonian since 1958, and perhaps we should all agree to leave it there?