The Blue Hope: 45.52 carats
A dark, steely blue stone from India, the diamond eventually named the Hope Diamond is more notorious than any other diamond. It was originally purchased by a French merchant traveler, who sold it to King Louis XIV in 1668. Set in gold and suspended on a neck ribbon, the king wore the "Blue Diamond of the Crown" or "French Blue" on ceremonial occasions. During the French Revolution in 1792, when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempted to flee France, the French Blue was stolen.
Evidence suggests that it was acquired in the early 1800s by King George IV of England, and likely sold at his death in 1830 to help pay off his debts. The diamond was subsequently purchased by Henry Philip Hope, from whom it takes its name. While in the possession of the Hope family, the diamond acquired its grim reputation for bad luck: The entire Hope family died in poverty.
Henry Thomas Hope's possession of the diamond was uneventful. However, one of his heirs who came to own it, Lord Francis Hope, was in financial difficulties due to a penchant for gambling. After numerous attempts (and despite the opposition of other family members) he finally succeeded in selling the Hope diamond in 1901. The diamond was purchased by a New York diamond merchant, Simon Frankel. At this point, the diamond was said to be involved in several bizarre events, although none have been substantiated.
First, a French broker by the name of Jacques Colot was said to have bought the stone before becoming insane and committing suicide. Next, a Russian or Eastern European prince, Ivan Kanitowsky, supposedly loaned or gave the diamond to an actress at the Folies Bergère, who was shot the first time she wore it. The prince himself was stabbed to death by revolutionaries; a Greek jeweler who sold the diamond to the Sultan of Turkey was thrown over a cliff while riding in a car with his wife and child. Again, it is difficult to separate the fact and fiction.
It is known that after several owners, the Hope diamond was sold by Cartier's to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean of Washington, D.C. Some researchers believe it was Pierre Cartier who popularized the story that the stone brought misfortune to its owners - and anyone who touched it.
Mrs. McLean was the daughter of Thomas F. Walsh, who amassed a fortune in gold mining. She spent her early childhood in mining camps in Colorado and South Dakota, but was later educated in Washington D.C. and in Europe. She married Edward Beale McLean, son of the owner of the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Washington Post.
Although Mrs. McLean refused to believe in the legendary Hope "curse" she also endured a number of family tragedies. Her brother died young; her nine-year-old son was run over by a car and killed; her ex-husband drank heavily and died in a mental institution; and her only daughter died of a drug overdose at age 25. Mrs. McLean never recovered from the latter tragedy, and passed away only a year later. Upon her death, Mrs. McLean's extensive jewelry collection was purchased by Harry Winston Inc. of New York City. After exhibiting it among other notable gems for the next 10 years, the firm donated it to the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains one of its premier attractions.
Evidence suggests that it was acquired in the early 1800s by King George IV of England, and likely sold at his death in 1830 to help pay off his debts. The diamond was subsequently purchased by Henry Philip Hope, from whom it takes its name. While in the possession of the Hope family, the diamond acquired its grim reputation for bad luck: The entire Hope family died in poverty.
Henry Thomas Hope's possession of the diamond was uneventful. However, one of his heirs who came to own it, Lord Francis Hope, was in financial difficulties due to a penchant for gambling. After numerous attempts (and despite the opposition of other family members) he finally succeeded in selling the Hope diamond in 1901. The diamond was purchased by a New York diamond merchant, Simon Frankel. At this point, the diamond was said to be involved in several bizarre events, although none have been substantiated.
First, a French broker by the name of Jacques Colot was said to have bought the stone before becoming insane and committing suicide. Next, a Russian or Eastern European prince, Ivan Kanitowsky, supposedly loaned or gave the diamond to an actress at the Folies Bergère, who was shot the first time she wore it. The prince himself was stabbed to death by revolutionaries; a Greek jeweler who sold the diamond to the Sultan of Turkey was thrown over a cliff while riding in a car with his wife and child. Again, it is difficult to separate the fact and fiction.
It is known that after several owners, the Hope diamond was sold by Cartier's to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean of Washington, D.C. Some researchers believe it was Pierre Cartier who popularized the story that the stone brought misfortune to its owners - and anyone who touched it.
Mrs. McLean was the daughter of Thomas F. Walsh, who amassed a fortune in gold mining. She spent her early childhood in mining camps in Colorado and South Dakota, but was later educated in Washington D.C. and in Europe. She married Edward Beale McLean, son of the owner of the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Washington Post.
Although Mrs. McLean refused to believe in the legendary Hope "curse" she also endured a number of family tragedies. Her brother died young; her nine-year-old son was run over by a car and killed; her ex-husband drank heavily and died in a mental institution; and her only daughter died of a drug overdose at age 25. Mrs. McLean never recovered from the latter tragedy, and passed away only a year later. Upon her death, Mrs. McLean's extensive jewelry collection was purchased by Harry Winston Inc. of New York City. After exhibiting it among other notable gems for the next 10 years, the firm donated it to the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains one of its premier attractions.
