The Hope Diamond – Curse of the Most Famous Gemstone

Over the years there have been many gemstones believed to be cursed, but the most famous of the gemstones is the Hope Diamond. This lustrous blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats is surrounded by tales of misfortune.

How did this diamond which originated in India, and accumulated history among Europe’s aristocracy, end up in one of America’s most beloved museums, the Smithsonian? Just like people, stones have stories. Here’s the blue diamond’s fascinating history.

The stone originated from the Kollur Mine, Telangana in India before Jean-Baptiste Tavernier purchased it in 1666. Around 1668, King Louis XIV of France purchased the large blue diamond weighing a little over 112 carats from the French merchant.

The king had the stone re-cut into a 67-carat heart-shaped stone (giving it the famous heart shape that we associate with Valentine’s Day) and set in gold by his court jeweler. The stone was named “Le bleu de France” (The French Blue).

Decades later, the diamond was stolen again and reappeared on the London scene. From there, the famous jewelry kept changing hands, being captured, re-cut, and moved almost as if it had a life of its own.

First, a diamond closely resembling the stolen French Blue reappeared in London, and owned by King George IV of England. The diamond was sold after his death in 1830 to help pay off his enormous debts. It was purchased by Henry Philip Hope, from whom the stone got its name. The diamond remained in the Hope family for many years, until it was auctioned off in 1908 to a Turkish Sultan, who was later dethroned in an army revolt.

At the turn of the 20th century, the famous diamond crossed the Atlantic Ocean and ended up in New York City. Famed jeweler Pierre Cartier bought the Hope Diamond in 1909. He enticed Evalyn Walsh McLean, an American heiress and socialite to purchase the diamond in 1912. McLean was the last private owner of the diamond, and was not afraid of the stones history.

She did experience tremendous misfortune while owning it, the loss of her eldest son at the age of 9 in a car accident, the loss of her only daughter at age 25 to suicide, and the loss of her husband to insanity, and eventually his death in an insane asylum. There was also financial misfortune, which led to the loss of the family newspaper The Washington Post to a bankruptcy auction. However, McLean did not believe the diamond brought her bad luck, and wore it until she died in 1947.

Since we’re talking about the Hope Diamond, we’d be remiss not to mention the Heart of the Ocean. Do you remember this famous blue diamond featured in the film, “Titanic”?

The scene: Rose (played by Kate Winslet) is wearing a heart-shaped blue diamond around her neck (and naked body) as she is being sketched and admired by Jack (played by Leonardo DeCaprio).