Just because you can't see the magical creatures of the world doesn't mean there aren't there. They have always' been.That's where the magic is! Right in front of your Eyes...
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.
Good evening my dear Friends & Followers I have a wonderful tale of an welsh water faerie Gwragedd Annwn. I hope you might stop by to have a good read when you have some time in your busy days.. They legend starts as this my dears ~ Once there was an legend of an submerged town in one of the many lakes in Wales near the Black Mountains. Some have said it was to be the home of Gwragedd Annwn. They say the people of Wales that live near these lakes have seen Towers and rooftops beneath the surface of the water. Plus if your lucky on a beautiful clear sunny day, they can even hear the bells from the towers below the depths of the lake. The tale of the water faerie Gwragedd Annwn is an wonderful story and to many they believe that it is true and is still very much alive today as do I! The Gwragedd Annwn or Gwrageth anoon are the welsh water faeries that live in the beautiful lakes of wales. These water faeries maidens that live on and in these lakes all over wales will occasionally take on an mortal husbands to live with inside their beautiful castle beneath the lake. Well there is one well-known legend that tells of a young man who used to graze his cattle by a small lake near the Black mountains. One day he saw a most enchanting creature rowing gently to and fro in a golden boat on the surface of the lake. He fell deeply in love with her and offered her some of the bread he had brought from home for his midday meal. She answered that the bread was too hard and disappeared into the depths of the lake. The young mans mother gave him some unbaked dough to take with him the next day and he offered this to the faerie of the lake, but when she appeared from the lake, she answered that it was too soft and again disappeared into the depths of the lake. Finally on the third day his mother gave him some lightly baked bread, and after the beautiful Gwragedd Annwn appeared from the lake and tasted the bread it did indeed passed. Suddenly three figures rose from the lake, an old man with a beautiful daughter on either side of him. The girls were identical and the father told the young farmer that he was willing to offer him the daughter with whom he was in love with if he could point her out. Well, the farmer would have given up in despair , but one slightly moved her foot and he; recognized her slipper, won her hand.
The Faerie Gwragedd Annwn
The water-faerie was given a fine dowry and they lived together happily. However, the young farmer had been warned that he would lose his beautiful wife should he ever strike her three times cause by even the smallest strike. So the farmer thought nothing of that because he would never strike his beautiful wife. But after a few years had went by, it so happened that even though they were indeed blissfully happy; His wife the Gwragedd Annwn had some curious faeries traditions, she might weep at a wedding or laugh and sing at funerals of a child and this eventually led to her loving husband reproving her three times more by a love-tap than a blow, but this was enough in her family's eyes to force her to leave him. She did not forget her sons that she had with the farmer and taught them many secrets of medicine so that they became famous physicians of the mortal world. I hope that you all Enjoyed the tale of the Faerie of the lake. I hope to bring you more
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Magical Creatures in Art Media.
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Photographic Photo-Shop, Digital Painting
and other Types of Media.
Most if not all, are from Talented Artist... Thank you to all the talented Artist, who have created all these beautiful images for all of us to Enjoy...If it wasn't for this amazing Artist I wouldn't
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