The Curse of Hope Diamond

According to legend, the fabulous jewel now known as the Hope diamond once decorated as the eye of an Indian idol of deity Sita, Ever since it was stolen from the Indian temple, it passed through several hands, touching each with its cursed legacy.

It was in the possession of the French trader and smuggler Jean Baptiste Tavernier. While travelling to Indian, Tavernier was attacked by a pack of wild dogs and torn to pieces.
The gem passed next to France's King Louis XIV, who reduced its staggering size from 112.5 carats to 67.5 and converted it into a heart shaped stone. This reduction, however, did not affect the curse.

After Nicholas Fouquet, a government official who was known for his unruly personality, borrowed the diamond for a state ball, he was convicted of stealing and sentence to life in prison, where he died.

Princess de Lambelle, who wore the diamond regularly, was beaten to death by a Parisian mob. The king himself died broke and scorned his empire in ruins.

Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the French Revolution of 1789, when the stone was inherited by him.

During 1800, 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.

In 1830, it was purchased by London banker Henry Thomas Hope for $150,000. It proved a mixed blessing. Family fortunes declined rapidly, and one grandson died penniless before another heir finally sold the stone. Over the next 16 years, the Hope diamond went from owner to owner, including Frenchman Jacques Colet, who committed suicide, and Russian Prince Ivan Kannitovitsky, a murder victim. In 1908, Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid paid $400,000 for the diamond and promptly bestowed in on his favorite concubine, Surbaya. But within a year Hamid had stabbed Subaya to death and had been dethroned himself.

Simon Montharides had it next until one evening his carriage overturned, killing him, along with his wife and infant daughter.

Diamond and accompanying curse next made their way to American financial tycoon Ned McLean, who paid the bargain price of $154,000. Vincent, his son, soon succumbed in a car crash, and a daughter died from a drug overdoes. McLean's wife became addicted to morphine, and Mclean himself died in an insane asylum. Mrs. McLean passed away in 1947, leaving the hazardous stone to six grandchildren. One of the six McLean grandchildren was found dead of unapparent cause in her Dallas apartment on December 13, 1967, at the age of twenty-five.

The McLean family sold the diamond to Harry Winston, a dealer in precious stones. Winston, in turn, donated it to the Smithsonian Institution, to get rid of the curse.

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”. 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 tragedy of many non-famous jewelers and intermediaries who were somehow involved in its handling.

 

 

 

The 45 carat blue diamond displayed at the Museum.

 

 

 

Currently, displayed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. Perhaps the curse can't work its misery on institutions the way it did on individuals.

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Hong Kong’s First De Beers Diamond Auction fetches 4.2m pounds

The Biggest Natural Color Diamond Auction ever happened in Hong Kong, sold the most expensive diamond ever sold in Hong Kong. A 5.16-carat fancy vivid blue diamond that is internally flawless was auctioned for 4.2 m pounds at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. The spectacular, pear-shaped blue diamond is estimated to fetch between US $4.6 m to US $5.8 m (£3.8m) but ultimately purchased at a whopping 4,221,533 pounds . The Auction was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and was a part of Sotheby's Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Spring Sale 2010.

This rare blue diamond formed the part of legendary De Beers’ Millennium Jewels Collection consist of 12 exceptional diamonds put together to mark the year 2000. The Natural Colored Diamond collection, which took decades to assemble, comprised 12 rare gems all cut and polished by Steinmetz and laser inscribed with a special serial number. Although the diamond was currently part of a private collection, this was the first time that any piece from the collection has been available at auction.

Blue diamonds are among the rarest of all gemstones, their natural blue color to the presence of boron during the stone's formation. These are greatly admired are the highest per-carat priced at auction due to their combination of color, brilliance and rarity that makes them so special. Some of these unique stones were sold for $550,000-$580,000 per carat in the past.

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The Sultan of Morocco Diamond

Origin of Name

The name suggests a possible linkage with the Sultans of morocco, before the mid 19th century, but there is no information to suggest that the stone had ever been with any one of the Sultans of Morocco.

Characteristics of the stone

The diamond is a 35.27-carat, cushion-cut, fancy grayish blue stone of unknown clarity. It is a rare type 11b diamond and perhaps the 4th largest natural blue diamond in the world. Type IIb is free of nitrogen, but contain trace quantities of another impurity, boron, which imparts a blue color to the diamonds. All natural blue diamonds belong to this group. However they are extremely scarce, constituting less than 0.1 % of all natural diamonds.

History of the stone

The country of origin, mine of origin etc. of the diamond are not known. The diamond came into the possession of the Yousupov family, a Russian noble family of Tartari descent, in 1840.The source of the diamond predicted is the Kollur mines of Golconda, in Southern India because it is the only known source of blue diamonds in the world during the time the stone originated(the pre mid-19th century) in addition to this the Sultan of Morocco diamond seems to be of Indian origin.

The current owner of the Blue Diamond

After the sale of the diamond in 1922 to Cartier of New York, the next occasion we here about the diamond is in 1972, when the diamond was sold privately to a private collector in San Francisco, California. The price paid for the diamond was said to be $250,000.

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The Hope Diamond

Introduction

“The French Blue” or “The Hope Diamond” or “Tavernier Blue “is large fancy dark grayish blue diamond. “The Hope Diamond” is famous for supposedly being cursed and is currently housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.

History of the stone & Origin of the stone’s name

The Hope Diamond is the previous record holder for being the largest faceted diamond and is probably the most well known and historically interesting of all diamonds. The Hope Diamond was originally known as the “Tavernier Blue” named after its first owner which was a crudely cut triangular diamond. According to legend, it was stolen from an Indian temple from statue of goddess Sita where it formed the eye. It purchased by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier around 1660. The diamond was sold to King Louis XIV of France who had it cut into a 67.125 carat stone. It was renamed “the French Blue” and worn for ceremonial functions in France. The diamond was rarely seen until Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette who added it to her jewelry collection. When the French Revolution started the diamond was stolen and resurfaced in La Havre four years later. The diamond disappeared for another 20 years; when it resurfaced in the hands of a London diamond merchant Daniel Eliason in 1812. Henry Philip Hope purchased the diamond in 1824, after his death his heirs fought over the diamond. It passed through three generations of the Hope family until Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton Hope fell into bankruptcy and was forced to sell the stone. The diamond continued to change hands until Pierre Cartier acquired it in 1910. Cartier reset the stone and sold it to socialite Evelyn Walsh McLean she was fascinated by the magical stone “The Hope diamond” the largest and most perfect blue diamond in existence and she thought things that were unlucky for everybody else would be lucky for her, because she was an exception. The deal closed at $180,000.She left the stone to her heirs; however it had to be sold again to settle outstanding debt. The stone was purchased by legendary jeweler Harry Winston who had the lower portion of the stone cut to increase its brilliance. After having the diamond as part of his traveling exhibit known as "the court of jewels," he donated it to the Smithsonian Institution where he sent it through the US postal service in plain brown wrapper. The diamond is said to have been cursed by the Hindu temple priest because financial ruin or sudden death occurred to many who owned it. The diamond was also the inspiration for the fictional "Heart of the Ocean" in the movie Titanic. In 2005 new computer research proved that the Hope Diamond was indeed the French Blue that was stolen from the jewelry collection of Marie Antoinette. The currently the stone is priced at $350 Million and more.

Characteristics of Diamond

“The French Blue” or “The Hope Diamond” or “Tavernier Blue “is fancy dark grayish blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats (9.10 g).The Hope Diamond is deep-blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence under ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, a Type IIb means free of nitrogen, but contains trace quantities of another impurity, boron, which imparts a blue color to the diamonds. All the natural blue diamond belongs to this group. However they are extremely scarce, constituting less than 0.1 % of all natural diamonds.

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The Heart of Eternity

Introduction

"The Heart of Eternity" is the 6th largest blue diamond in the world. It is the rarest fancy blue diamond belonging to the category of the famous blue diamond of the world.

History of the stone

"The Heart of Eternity" diamond originated in the Premier diamond mines of South Africa, the only major source of blue diamonds in the world today. The diamond originated in the 1990s.The heart of eternity is the sister stone of the Millennium Star which were both cut from the same stone. . The diamond was purchased by the Steinmetz Group. The master cutters of the Steinmetz Group headed by Nir Livant transformed the rough diamond into a perfect heart-shaped diamond weighing 27.64 carats. They worked round the clock for more than three years, cutting and polishing the diamonds, in order to get them ready for the ceremonial unveiling just before the onset of the new millennium. It formed the part of the rare collection of diamonds known as the DeBeers Millennium Jewels Collection. The Heart of Eternity", was unveiled to the world, at an impressive ceremony held in October 1999, at the headquarters of the Central Selling Organization in London, with top officials of the De Beers Company and the Steinmetz Group in attendance.

Origin of the stone’s name

"The Heart of Eternity" is the name given by the Steinmetz Group, to the 27.64-carat, rare blue diamond, cut in the form of a heart shape, by the master cutters of the Group headed by Nir Livant, and unveiled to the world, together with ten other blue diamonds and the Millennium Star, on the eve of the new Millennium and exhibited throughout the year 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London. The name seems to reflect not only the beautiful heart shape of the diamond, but also the eternal character of diamonds that have lasted for almost 3-4 billion years, and may continue to exist eternally till the end of time.

Characteristics of Diamond

"The Heart of Eternity" diamond is a 27.64-carat, fancy vivid blue diamond with a heart-shaped cut, and a color grading of VS-2. The estimated value of the diamond in the year 2000 was around $ 16 million, but the record-breaking sale of a 6.04-carat internally flawless blue diamond by Sotheby's of Hong Kong in October 2007 for $ 7.98 million, which works out to about $ 1.32 million per carat, shows the recent unprecedented demand for this rare variety of diamond.

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Blue Diamonds - My Favourites

Diamonds are one of nature's most beautiful gifts to us. There is nothing to compare these ravishing stones. The only competition they face is from their colored counterparts.


Rare and truly splendid, colored diamonds are sought after the world over due to their sheer brilliance and hues. Blue diamonds especially are one of the rarest and they grace only a handful of jewelry stores across the world. One of the most well known of blue diamonds is the Hope diamond, the world's largest deep blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats. After it's discovery in the early 1600s, it has traversed across continents to various owners.

More recently, celebrities have also forayed into colored diamonds. The ravishing Halle Berry sported some breathtaking blue and white diamond jewelry at the 60th Golden Globes. The pear pendant and ring stood out in all their magnificence. In spite of their astronomical price tags, blue diamonds are desired the world over.

Some Facts About Natural Color Diamonds

Some facts that are associated with color diamonds are like –

• Pink diamonds - are rarest of the diamonds and are mostly found in Argyle Mine in Australia.
• Yellow diamonds - the yellow color is due to the presence of nitrogen. These are most common natural colored diamonds.
• Blue diamonds - The famous Hope diamond is a blue diamond. It has the ability to conduct electricity and is formed from Boron.
• Green diamonds - The green color is caused by radiation that took place in stone thousands of years ago. The famous green diamond is Dresdon Diamond.
• Orange diamond - The famous orange diamond is The Pumpkin. The cause of orange color is nitrogen.
• Red diamonds - A red color diamond is rarest, not many jewelers around the world have seen this color diamond too. The largest red diamond is the red shield 5.11carats.