The Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond has a long and intriguing past. Some people believe that it is cursed because almost everyone who owned it came upon hardship or death while in the possession of the blue beauty.
This large and rare blue diamond was discovered in India by French merchant traveler, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who sold it to King Louis XIV of France in 1668. It remained in the possession of the King until 1792 when it was stolen from court while Louis and Marie Antoinette were fleeing to the countryside fearing revolt of their subjects.
The diamond resurfaced in 1812 in the care of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. It was acquired by King George IV of England who upon his deathbed in 1830 sold it to balance out massive debts he had accrued. To whom the king sold it is unknown.
The next reference of the gem surfaced in 1839 and this is where the Hope diamond got its name. Henry Philip Hope added it to his gem collection. It is not known how he acquired the diamond. In that same year Henry Phillip died suddenly and a battle over ownership began. The Smithsonian Institute reports:
-
the diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and ultimately to the nephew’s grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters to sell the stone to help pay off his debts. It was sold to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City, who retained the stone in New York until they, in turn, needed cash. The diamond was next sold to Selim Habib who put it up for auction in Paris in 1909. It did not sell at the auction but was sold soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that same year.
Some historians theorize that the diamond did not sell on the open market in 1909 due to the steady train of deaths and misfortunes surrounding previous owners.
In 1910 Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean purchased the diamond, after much debate, from Mr. Cartier himself. She had the stone reset to a pendant style and it remained in her collection as one of her beloved pieces until her death in 1947.
Harry Winston purchased Mrs. McLean’s entire jewelry collection from her estate after her death. The Hope diamond was put on display at many charitable events around the world over the next 10 years. On November 10, 1958, the Hope diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, upon where it is housed today.
Have you ever been to visit the Hope diamond? It’s located in the United States Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. and it’s FREE to visit!
Leave A Comment