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Description of the
Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond
is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. It is currently housed
in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in the USA. The Hope Diamond
weighs 45.52 carats is graded as VS1, is Dark blue in color. The Size of
the Hope Diamond is 21.78 mm wide, 25.60 mm long and 12.00 mm deep.
Origin of the name
of the Hope Diamond
The Hope
originated from India in Golconda where it was mined at the at the Kollur
mine. The famous Hope diamond was first known as the "French Blue" or the
"Tavernier Blue" as it was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 –
1689), the French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and diamond trade with
India. The French Blue was then passed from one ruling French King to the
next until the French Revolution when it was stolen. What happened next
was a bit of a mystery but in 1839 an entry of a fabulous blue diamond was
entered in the gem collection catalog of Henry Philip Hope, the man from
whom the diamond now takes its name. The gem catalog did not reveal where
or from who Henry Philip Hope acquired the diamond or how much he paid for
it. It was said that "Bad luck and death not only for the owner of
the diamond but for all who touched it." Possession of the Hope
diamond led to violent deaths, disaster and debt leading to stories, myths
and legends of the Curse of the
Hope Diamond...
The Curse of the
Hope Diamond
The Curse
of Hope Diamond dates back to its Indian heritage. The great blue
diamond was said to have been stolen from the Forehead of an Idol.
According to the legend the diamond was stolen from a statue of the Hindu
goddess Sita. The Hindu Priests were incensed and placed a curse on
whoever owned the diamond. The Curse of the
Hope Diamond foretells :
"Bad
luck and death not only for the owner of the diamond but for all who
touched it. "
The legend does not state
who stole the diamond but it was definitely acquired by Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier who first took the diamond from India to Europe.
-
The curse of the Hope Diamond is said to have first inflicted a
terrible death on Tavernier who died of a fever and whose body
was then torn apart by wolves ( not substantiated)
-
The diamond was sold to King Louis XIV of France. Louis XIV died
on September 1, 1715 of gangrene but almost all of his
legitimate children and grandchildren died. His five-year-old
great-grandson succeeded him to reign as Louis XV of France
-
Louis XV was a weak and dissolute King. One of his mistresses
was the Comtesse Du Barry who was beheaded during the French
Revolution
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The next King was Louis XVI. Both he and his wife Marie
Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution
-
The diamond passed to the English
King George IV who left considerable debts
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The Hope Family ended up selling the diamond because of debts
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The American Evalyn Walsh McLean owned the Hope Diamond and her
life was best by tragedies and after her death the Hope Diamond
once again had to be sold to settle debts
The history and lives of
the owners of the Hope diamond were filled with tragedy and many of their
lives culminated in vast debts. Whether or not people believe
in the Curse of the Hope Diamond, the history of the stone is
undeniable - and the threat of the Hope curse is enough to make
people cautious. The History Timeline details
the story of the Hope diamond.
History of the
Hope Diamond
Myths and legends
surround the stone. It is of incredible value. The Hope Diamond originated from India in Golconda
where it was mined at the at the Kollur mine. The first mention we have of
a Blue Diamond in Europe refers to a stone then considered unique. It
weighed in the rough 112 carats, was acquired in 1642 by Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier (1605 – 1689), the French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and
diamond trade. The magnificent blue diamond was sold to King Louis XIV of
France in 1668. It was described as "d'un beau violet" meaning a
"beautiful violet" which was brilliant in clarity and rare in color. The
French King had the dark blue diamond cut into a triangular shape weighing
67 carats and wore it suspended from a light blue ribbon round his neck as
a pendant. It became part of the French regalia, or Crown Jewels. After
passing to French Kings it was stolen during the French Revolution and
re-emerged re-cut and sold to various owners. The weight of the diamond
had dropped to 45 carats and it is believed that a piece of the original
diamond was made into the "Blue Drop Diamond " which was owned by the the
Duke of Brunswick. The Hope Diamond is currently housed in the
Smithsonian Natural History Museum in the USA. The lives and the greed of
many of the owners and wearers of the produced many
stories of ill-luck that plagued them and became part of the history
of the Hope diamond.
The History Timeline of the Hope Diamond
The following
timeline & history of the Hope details important historical events and
dates:
|
Dates in History of
the Hope |
Timeline & History of
Hope
Diamond
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|
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The diamond
originated from the Kollur mine, Golconda in India and
was believed to have adorned the Forehead of an Idol in
a statue of the Hindu goddess Sita. |
|
1642 |
In 1642 the
diamond was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 –
1689), the French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and
diamond trade. The legend surrounding the diamond
accuses Tavernier of stealing the diamond |
|
1668 |
The
magnificent blue diamond was sold to King Louis XIV of
France in 1668 - "Le Roi Soleil" or the "Sun King" |
|
1673 |
In 1673 the
blue diamond was cut to 67 carats by the court jeweler
of King Louis XIV, Sieur Pitau, and it became known as
the "French Blue" |
|
1715 |
The
French Blue figured in a grand historic scene on the
February 1715, when the Persian Ambassador appeared
before King Louis XIV in Paris |
|
1749 |
In 1749
King Louis XV ordered his court jeweler, Andre Jacquemin,
to reset the French Blue into a piece of ceremonial
jewelry |
|
1792 -
August |
This
diamond was, with the rest of the French regalia, seized
in August, 1792, and deposited in the Garde-Meuble
(Royal Treasury) during the French Revolution |
|
1792 - September |
In
September the Crown Jewels, including the French Blue
Diamond were stolen when the Garde Meuble (Royal
Treasury) was stormed by rioters. What ultimately became
of it remains a bit of a mystery. |
|
1812 |
In 1812 John Françillion wrote
a memo documenting the presence in London of a
a Blue
Brilliant diamond was in the hands of Mr. Daniel Eliason,
a London diamond merchant, which was believed to be the
French Blue Diamond. It came to light without a history,
without any account being rendered as to where it came
from or what had been its travels and fortunes.
|
|
1812 |
An illustrated perspectus for
the sale of the diamond is found, signed by the Daniel
Eliason. It would appear that the diamond is purchased
by the King of England |
|
1822 |
In 1822 Sir Thomas Lawrence
painted a portrait of King George IV of England in which
the King is wearing the insignia of the Royal Order of
the Golden Fleece set with a large blue stone, believed
to be the French Blue |
|
1830 |
In 1830
King George IV died and the
'French Blue' was sold to pay off his great debts |
|
1839 |
In 1839 an
entry of a fabulous blue diamond was entered in the gem
collection catalog of the newly deceased Henry Philip
Hope, the man from whom the diamond now takes its name.
The gem catalog did not reveal where or from who Henry
Philip Hope acquired the diamond or how much he paid for
it. |
|
1839 |
The diamond
passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and then to the
nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. |
|
1894 |
Lord
Francis Hope married his mistress, an American actress
called May Yohe. But she left him for a man called
Putnam Strong |
|
1901 |
In 1901
Lord Francis Hope sold the Hope Diamond to help pay off
his debts. |
|
1901 |
It was sold
to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph
Frankels and Sons of New York City and the Hope Diamond
was moved from Europe to the US |
|
1909 |
Joseph
Frankels and Sons also fell into debt and the Hope
diamond was next sold to Selim Habib |
|
1909 |
Selim Habib
who put the Hope Diamond up for auction in Paris in
1909. It did not sell at the auction |
|
1909 |
The first stories about the
Curse of the Hope Diamond were documented in the
June 25 issue of The Times in which an article detailed
the stories of previous owners whose lives had been
cursed through the ownership of the Hope Diamond |
|
1909 |
The Hope
Diamond sold soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold
to Pierre Cartier who had the Hope diamond reset andhe
Hope diamond was set in a pendant of 16 white diamonds,
both pear-shapes and cushion cuts. |
|
1911 |
In 1911 the
Hope diamond was sold to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean.
Evalyn Mc Lean was the wife of Edward (Ned) McLean who
was heir to the Washington Post newspaper fortune. |
|
1912 |
A bail was
then soldered to the Hope diamond pendant on which
Evalyn McLean would attach other diamonds including the
McLean diamond and the Star of the East. The chain of
the necklace contained 45 white diamonds |
|
1911 -
1947 |
Terrible
tragedies struck her family including the death of her
first born son, Vinson, in a car crash when he was only
nine. Her daughter committed suicide at age 25. In 1941
Evalyn McLean's husband was declared insane and confined
to a mental institution until his death |
|
1921 |
In 1921 May Yohe hired Henry
Leyford Gates to help her write The Mystery of the Hope
Diamond. May Yohe persuaded film producer George Kleine
to back a movie called 'The Hope Diamond Mystery' based
on the book. She starred as Lady Francis Hope - the
movie flopped |
|
1947 |
Evalyn
McLean died |
|
1949 |
Against the
dying wishes of Evalyn McLean her jewelry was put on
sale in 1949 in order to settle the debts from her
estate, instead of going to her grandchildren |
|
1949 |
The Hope
Diamond was purchased by Harry Winston Inc. of New York
City |
|
1949 -
1953 |
The Hope
was shown as the central attraction of their Court of
Jewels exhibition from 1949 - 1953 |
|
1953 -
1958 |
The Hope
diamond was shown at many exhibits and charitable events
all over the world by Harry Winston Inc. |
|
1958 |
On November
10, 1958 Harry Winston Inc. donated the Hope diamond to
the Smithsonian Institution occasionally show the Hope
at exhibits and charitable events all over the world |
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Timeline & History |
Timeline & History of
the Hope |
History Timeline
of the Hope
The above history
timeline of the Hope diamond details important historical events and
dates and the legends and myths that surround the curse of the
Hope. The tragic lives of some of the owners give some credence to the
Curse of the Hope :
"Bad
luck and death not only for the owner of the diamond but for all who
touched it. "
The Hope Diamond
The following timeline &
history of the Hope details important historical events and dates.
Fascinating information about the history of the Hope stone providing
comprehensive facts, information and timeline about the history of the
infamous Hope.
Famous - Precious - Curse -
Stone - Guide - Timeline Hope - Facts - Information -Info
History - Curse - Timeline & History Hope - History of the Hope
Hope Diamond
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