The Hope diamond is one of the most noted diamonds in history. It is surrounded by legend and has an incredibly intriguing past
History Of The Hope Diamond
Anytime there is a bestiary surrounding a piece of jewelry, it always becomes fresh intriguing No vacillate many obtain heard of the Hope diamond, and according to the legend, a malediction befell the sizeable woebegone nut when it was stolen from India The malediction foretold of not logical mouldy luck, but death for the hotelier and all who touched it
The saga may or may not be true, depending upon what you believe, but the Hope diamond has most definitely intrigued family for hundreds of years The vast size, odd color, and complete standard make it one of the most beautiful and decided diamonds in the world. When you combine that with the captivating history, the Hope diamond is really object special
Beginnings
As legend has it, several centuries ago, a friend named Tavernier went to India where he stole a bulky sorrowful diamond from the forehead (eye) off a memorial of the Hindu goddess Sita He then traveled to Russia to vend the diamond, where he was subsequently torn apart by brutal dogs for his transgression. This is the peak death attributed to the curse
While this is the legend, it hasn’t been confirmed that this is actually what happened In 1642, a French jeweler named Jean Baptiste Tavernier traveled to India where he purchased a 112 3/16 carat woebegone diamond. He end sold the large melancholy diamond to Louis XIV and was made a refined before his death at 84. It is not exactly known how he died
French Kings
King Louis XIV had the diamond recut to enhance its brilliance, down to 67 1/8 carats He named it as “Blue Diamond of the Crown” and would often wear the diamond on a ribbon around his neck. It was then believed that Louis XIV and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were beheaded during the French Revolution because of the blue diamond’s curse.
While it is true that Marie Antoinette and the King of France were indeed beheaded, it is other likely due to the reality that they led an extravagant life and this was at the height of the French Revolution During this time, the crown jewels, including the sad diamond, were taken from the royals and placed in the Garde-Meuble. Unfortunately, this was not well protected and the Garde-Meuble was repeatedly robbed Most of the treasure were second recovered, but the unhappy diamond was not
Present Day
The diamond changed hands many times in the successive few centuries after the French Revolution, until it was finally brought to the United States in 1901 by an American jeweler named Simon Frankel.Eventually it foregone up in the hands of Pierre Cartier who sold it to a duchess named Evalyn McLean After her death in 1949, her jewelry was sold off to settle some debts She too was uttered to obtain suffered some ill kismet in her life, perhaps due to the diamond’s curse.
Harry Winston purchased the diamond in 1949 and donated the diamond to be worn for charities Later he donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. It inactive resides in the National Gem and Mineral Collection in the National Museum of Natural History for all to see