Curse of the Hope Diamond

Curse of the Hope Diamond-

The Hope Blue Diamond

 The Hope Diamond is renowned for its rare color and rich history. It was formed more than a billion years ago at a depth of about 150 km. The diamond was brought to the earth’s surface by a volcanic eruption. The rare blue color of the jewel is attributed to light interaction with an impurity in the diamond’s atomic structure. As the diamond grew, a few atoms of boron entered the crystal structure and substituted for some of the carbon atoms. -
According to the legend, a course befell on the large, blue

diamond when it was plucked 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.

Whether or not you believe in the curse, the Hope Diamond has

intrigued people for centuries. Its perfect quality, Its large size, and its

rare color make it strikingly unique and beautiful. 
Add to this a varied

history which includes being owned by King Louis XlV, stolen during the

French Revolution, Sold to earn money for gambling, worn to raise money

for charity, and then finally donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Where it is

today.

Taken from the Forehead of an Idol

Jean-Baptists Tavernier the first
to be cursed by the blue diamond

The legend is said to begin with a theft. Several centuries ago. A man

named Tavernier made a trip to India, While there, he stole a large blue diamond

from the forehead - or eye of a statue of the Hindu Goddess Site. For this transgression,

according to the legend, Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip

to Russia - after he had sold the diamond. This was the first horrible death attributed to the

curse of the blue diamond.

In 1642 a man by the name of Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French Jeweler who traveled

extensively, visited India and bought a 112 3/16 carat blue diamond - This diamond was much larger than the present weight of the Hope diamond because the Hope has been cut down at least twice in the past three centuries. The diamond is believed to have come from the Kollur mines in Golconda in India.

Tavernier continued to travel and arrived back in France in 1668, twenty-six years after he

bought the large blue diamond. French King Louis XlV, the "Sun King, ordered Tavernier

to presented at court. From Tavernier, Louis XlV bought the large, blue diamond as well as forty - four large diamonds and 1,122 smaller diamonds, Tavernier was made a noble and died at the age 84 in Russia - It is not known how he died~

King Louis of France XlV was the next to
own the Blue Diamond and died very ill 

In 1673 Louis King XlV decided to re-cut the blue diamond to enhance its brilliance - the previous cut had been to enhance its size not its brilliance.. The Newly cut gem was cut

at 67 1/8 carats - by Louis King XlV who Officially named it the 'Blue Diamond of the Crown' and would often wear the diamond on along ribbon around his neck. The King would ware Blue Diamond during Ceremonial occasions.

Misfortune Met Louis King XlV as well. He died a shattered man with his empire in ruins. The Diamond , Known as the French Blue was left to his heirs who fared no better.

Princess de Lamballe was beaten to death by street mobs & King Louis XVl and Marie

Marie Antoinette ware the
blue Diamond and was beheaded 

Antoinette were both beheaded - The French Crown jewels were stolen along with the

Blue Diamond of the Crown - As for Jean Baptiste Tavernier he didn't escape the curse of the blue Diamond either... He hoped to return to India, hoping to make another fortune

and was set attack by a pack of wild dogs - in short he was torn to pieces..

Considering that King Louis XlV and King XV had both owned and worn the Blue Diamond

a number of times and have not been set down in legend as tormented by the curse, it is difficult to say that all those who own or touch the gem will suffer an ill fate. Though it is true 

that Marie Version:

Antoinette and Louis XlV were both beheaded...

Before Antoinette and Louis XLV
were both beheaded 

For a while the diamond had vanished but it would resurface..

Queen Marie Louisa of Spain wore a diamond that looked that looked very

much like the French Blue Diamond in a portrait by Goya in 1800. There are

reports that the jinxed diamond was re-cut to its present size of a large walnut - by Wilhelm Fals- a Dutch diamond cutter to hide the blue diamond identity - Fals is said to have died of grief after his son Hendrick stole the Blue diamond from him. Hendrick in turned , committed suicide.

Next...

It deed turned up with King George lV
who acquired it but died
penniless in 1830

It turned up in London - King George lV acquired it and died penniless in 1830.
After the King George lV died in 1830

Henry Philip Hope would be the next owner
of the hope blue diamond in 1812

 Wealthy London banker, Henry Philip Hope, would be its next owner and would give

the curse jewel it name. Unfortunately, the name didn't lend that quality to the evil stone

and when it was passed down to his nephew grandson - Lord Franci Hope, the Unfortunate owner suffered from an accidental shooting that caused him to have his leg

amputated - In addition he went bankrupt and was forced to sell the blue diamond in 1902.

Change Hands Many times Thur the years...

It changed hands several times during the next few years. Some claim that it was bought by

an Eastern European Prince who gave it to an Actress of the Folies Bergere 

Mademoiselle Ledue, an actress in the Folies Bergere, who was lent the Hope Diamond by Russian Prince Kanitovsky and was subsequently shot by him the first time she appeared on stage with it on. He himself was killed during the revolution. 

According 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.

Whether or not you believe in the curse, the Hope diamond has intrigued people forand later shot her. A Greek owner and his family plunged to their death over a precipice in an automobile accident -

Turkish Sultan Abdul

And the Turkish Sultan Abdul - Hamid ll had owned the blue diamond only a few months when an army revolted toppled him from his throne in 1909. These are just a few of the case that the Blue diamond has but it curse on...
Henry Philip Hope died in 1839, his three nephews, the sons of Thomas and Louisa, fought in court for ten years over his inheritance, and ultimately the collection was split up. The oldest nephew, Henry Thomas Hope, received eight of the most valuable gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was displayed in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault. In 1861, Henry Thomas Hope’s only child, Henrietta, married Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln (and later Duke of Newcastle). When Hope died on December 4, 1862, his wife;

Anne Adele  now inherited the
blue diamond 1884 Yohé

Anne Adele inherited the gem, but she feared that the profligate lifestyle of her son-in-law might cause him to sell the Hope properties. Upon Adele’s death in 1884, the entire Hope estate, including the Hope Diamond, was entrusted to Henrietta’s younger son, Henry Francis Pelham-Clinton, on the condition that he add the name of “Hope” to his own surnames when he reached the age of legal majority. As Lord Francis Hope, this grandson received his legacy in 1887. However, he had only a life interest in his inheritance, meaning that he could not sell any part of it without court permission.
In 1894, Lord Francis Hope met the American concert hall singer May Yohé, who has been described as “the sensation of two continents”, and they were married the same year; one account suggests that Yohé wore the Hope Diamond on at least one occasion. She later claimed that she had worn it at social gatherings and had an exact replica made for her performances, but her husband claimed otherwise. Lord Francis lived beyond his means, and this eventually caught up with him, leading to marriage troubles and financial reverses, and he found that he had to sell the diamond. In 1896, his bankruptcy was discharged, but, as he could not sell the Hope Diamond without the court’s permission, he was supported financially by his wife during these intervening years. In 1901, the financial situation had changed, and after a “long legal fight,” he was given permission to sell the Hope Diamond by an order of the Master in Chancery to “pay off debts”. But May Yohé ran off with a gentleman friend named Putnam Strong, who was a son of the former New York City mayor William L. Strong. Francis Hope and May Yohé were divorced in 1902. 
By 1912, the diamond got to the hands of Pierre Cartier's in 1912, it was sold to Eralyn McLean

Pierre Cartier in 1912 with his
wife and child is the next holder
for the hope diamond

the eccentric wife of American tycoon Edward Beal McLean - for $180,000. Worried about the Blue diamonds curse - Pierre told her all about its history before he sold it to her, but she wasn't worried - claiming that objects usually considered bad luck turn into good luck to her-



McLean, of Washington D.C., at Cartier's in Paris, but she did not like the setting. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. where he left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful. The sale was made in 1911 with the diamond mounted as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white diamonds. Sometime later it became the pendant on a diamond necklace as we know it today. Mrs. McLean's flamboyant ownership of the stone lasted until her death in 1947.
In 1910 the Hope diamond was shown to Mrs Evelyn Walsh

A very young Mrs Evalyn Walsh

Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs. McLean's entire jewelry collection, including the Hope diamond, from her estate in 1949. This collection also included the 94.8-carat Star of the East diamond, the 15-carat Star of the South diamond, a 9-carat green diamond, and a 31-carat diamond which is now called the McLean diamond.

For the next 10 years the Hope diamond was shown at many exhibits and charitable events world wide by Harry Winston Inc., including as the central attraction of their Court of Jewels exhibition. On November 10, 1958, they donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, and almost immediately the great blue stone became its premier attraction.
She was Wrong~Not long afterward - Edward McLean's mother and two house servants died - Then the Mcleans nine - year old son was killed in an auto accident and their 25-year-old daughter committed suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. Edward the father and his wife divorced and Edward later died in a mental institution.

Mrs. Evalyn Walsh 

Mrs Evalyn Walsh

Mrs Evalyn Walsh

Two large diamonds with the
Hope diamond

Mrs. Evalyn walsh

Mrs. Evalyn Walsh with her husband
owner of the Hope Diamond for
over 10 years

Mrs. Edna Winston presents the Smithsonian with the legendary Hope Diamond in 1958. The diamond was a gift from New York jeweler Harry Winston who acquired the diamond from Evalyn Walsh McLean. Winston was not present at the ceremony transferring the diamond to the Natural History Museum because, under the terms of his insurance policy, he could not be photographed. The diamond arrived at the Smithsonian from New York City in a plain, brown package via registered mail.
Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs McLean's entire
jewelry collection including the Hope diamond from her estate in 1949

The Hope Diamond Today- has always had an intriguing background.  One of its more mysterious aspects is that it phosphoresces red when exposed to ultraviolet light. Research found that almost all natural blue diamonds show phosphorescence that has components of blue and red light. In the Hope Diamond’s case, the red color dominates, and the phosphorescence appears red to the eye. Many characteristics of this phosphorescence are specific to individual diamonds and provide a “fingerprint” that can be used to identify individual natural blue diamonds. In 2012, Smithsonian scientists discovered that the diamond contained high levels of boron, which likely contributes to its unique blue color and its phosphorescence.

The Hope Diamond is a cushion antique brilliant cut that weighs 45.52 carats and is one of the largest, rarest, most important blue diamonds in the world. It is on display in the Harry Winston Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History and is the most visited item on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. 

 The weight of the Hope diamond for many years was reported to be 44.5 carats. In 1974 it was removed from its setting and found actually to weigh 45.52 carats. It is classified as a type IIb diamond, which are semiconductive and usually phosphoresce. The Hope diamond phosphoresces a strong red color too.

In the pendant surrounding the Hope diamond are 16 white diamonds, both pear-shapes and cushion cuts. A bail is soldered to the pendant where Mrs. McLean would often attach other diamonds including the McLean diamond and the Star of the East. The necklace chain contains 45 white diamonds.

Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond with the McLean Diamond (31.26 Carats) and Star of the East (94.8 Carats) attached

The Hope diamond has left the Smithsonian only four times since it was donated. In 1962 it was exhibited for a month at the Louvre in Paris, France, as part of an exhibit entitled Ten Centuries of French Jewelry. In 1965 the Hope diamond traveled to South Africa where it was exhibited at the Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg. In 1984 the diamond was lent to Harry Winston Inc., in New York, as part of the firms 50th anniversary celebration. In 1996 the Hope diamond was again sent to Harry Winston Inc., in New York, this time for cleaning and some minor restoration work. 

In December of 1988, a team from the Gemological Institute of America visited the Smithsonian to grade the great blue stone using present day techniques. They observed that the gem shows evidence of wear, has a remarkably strong phosphorescence, and that its clarity is slightly affected by a whitish graining which is common to blue diamonds. They described the color as a fancy dark grayish-blue. An examination on the same day by another gemologist using a very sensitive colorimeter revealed that there is a very slight violet component to the deep blue color which is imperceptible to the naked eye. Still, one can only wonder that the original 112 3/16-carat stone bought by Tavernier was described as "un beau violet" (a beautiful violet).
Hope Diamond to Date
Weight - Now 45.52 carats
Dimensions - Now Length 25.60 mm
                                 Width 21.78 mm
                                  Depth 12.00 mm
Cut - Now Cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion.
Clarity - Now VS1. Whitish graining is present .
Color - Now  Fancy dark grayish Blue

American Jeweler - Harry Winston bought the Blue Diamond - which by how had a gem - studded necklace

attached to it - from the McLean estate in 1958 - And gave the Blue Studded necklace diamond to the - Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C It is Valued at $100,000

million dollars - And is kept is a special safe - Where it is hopefully unable to cause

no further harm - Perhaps Harry Winston unselfish act finally will End the Curse

of the Blue Diamond - But I certainly wouldn't want to find our personally - Would YOU? Below is an actual copy of what the hope diamond would have looked like at 112 carats... and all the folks that were cursed or affected by the hope diamond. I hope that you Enjoy the legend of the Hope Diamond my dear Friends and Followers YUR WENDY HUGS AND KISSES

An Copy of what the
orginal Hope Diamond
would have looked like
in its size at
112 3/16 carats
By not the color of
course 

Jean Baptiste Tavernier  (diamond merchant)

stole the diamond from the eye of an Indian idol and was torn apart by wild dogs.

Louis XIV (Sun King of France)

purchased the diamond from Tavernier and died of gangrene.

Marquise de Montespan (mistress of Louis XIV)

wore the diamond and soon thereafter lost favor with the King.

Nicholas Fouquet (guardian of French Crown jewels)

wore the diamond for a festive occasion and was later disgraced, imprisoned and executed by order of the King.
Louis XVl (king of France) inherited the hope diamond lost his head during the revolution.

Marie Antoinette (Queen of France)

wore the diamond and lost her head during the revolution.

Princess de Lamballe (member of the King's court)

wore the diamond and was torn to pieces by a French mob.

Wilhelm Fals (Dutch jeweler)

recut the diamond and was robbed and murdered by his own son, Hendrik.

Hendrik Fals

committed suicide in 1830.

Francis Beaulieu (diamond merchant)

sold the diamond and died in misery.

George IV (King of England)

owned the diamond and died deep in debt.

Henry Philip Hope (wealthy London banker)

owned the diamond and suffered a long series of misfortunes, including the death of his only son.

Lord Francis Hope (grand nephew of Lord Francis)

inherited the diamond and suffered scandal, an unhappy marriage and financial ruin.

May Yohe (wife of Francis Thomas Hope)

claimed to have worn the diamond and authored many of these unsubstantiated tales of woe. Died in poverty.

Simon Frankel (New York jewelry broker)

bought the Hope in 1901 and met with severe financial difficulties during the Depression.

Jacques Colot (next owner)

went mad and committed suicide.

Prince Ivan Kanitovski (next owner)

was murdered by Russian revolutionaries.

Mlle. Lorens Ladue (of Folies Bergere)

borrowed the diamond from her lover, Ivan, and was then murdered by him.

Simon Maoncharides (Greek jewel broker)

owned the diamond and drove his car over a precipice, killing himself, his wife and child.

Habib Bey (Persian diamond merchant)

owned the diamond briefly and drowned in the sinking of a French steamer in 1909.

Abdul Hamid II (Sultan of Turkey)

paid $400,000 for the diamond and lost the Ottoman Empire in an army revolt.

Abu Sabir (servant of the Sultan)

polished the diamond for the Sultan and was imprisoned and tortured.

Zubayda (Sultan's favorite concubine)

wore the diamond and was later found stabbed to death.

Kulub Bey (guardian of the Sultan's diamond)

was hanged by Turkish mob.

Jehver Agha (an official of the Sultan's treasury)

attempted to steal the diamond and was hanged.

Evalyn Walsh McLean (owner of the diamond)

purchased the diamond from Pierre Cartier. Her mother-in-law died shortly thereafter; her first-born son died in an auto accident at the age of nine; her husband ran off with another woman, dissipated their fortune, suffered brain atrophy from alcoholism and died in a mental hospital; and her only daughter died of a drug overdose at the age of twenty-five. Evalyn was forced to sell the family newspaper, the Washington Post, and died soon after her daughter's death.

James Todd (mailman)

delivered the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian and crushed his leg in a truck accident, injured his head in an automobile accident and then lost his home in a fire.

The American People (current owners)

received the dimaond from Harry Winston as  a gift to the Smithsonian Institution and suffered economic,  natural and political disasters heretofor unexplained  until linked to the curse of the Hope Diamond.