The Hope Diamond Legend

The Hope diamond, also known as the blue diamond or jewel of the sea, is a precious jewel of the most bombastic in the world of gems, it is an exquisite gem desired by kings and commoners, ladies and gentlemen, which is also surrounded by a mystery curse, which is concerned when it is stolen by a priest of Hindu origin, also provides bad luck and misfortune to all those who at some point acquired it. In this interesting article we invite you to learn about the incredible history of royalty and nobles that surrounds the Hope Diamond.

What is the Hope diamond?

The Hope diamond is a dark blue gemstone that weighs approximately 45.52 carats, which is the equivalent of 9.10 grams. The color of this precious stone is due to the existence of traces of particles of chemical elements and solid metal known as boron, which in the light reflects reddish flashes.

On November 10, 1958, the Hope Diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, which is an educational and research center with a complex of associated museums, by Harry Winston, an American luxury jeweler. and Swiss watch producer, who forwarded it through the postal service, in a tattered paper envelope.

Since then, it represents a large part of the national gemstone collection exhibited by the museum. Then later, in 2005, the Institute released the results of an exhaustive investigation that showed that the diamond had been part of a collection of jewels that belonged to the French Crown until it was stolen in 1792, at the time that Garde Meuble, which means National Treasure, was invaded by agitators who extracted some significant collectibles.

Over the years, this diamond has traditionally become an apparent curse that haunts the people who have owned them, according to alleged comments that concern the fault of the misfortunes that the owners of this gem have suffered.

Origin of the Hope diamond

The significant Hope diamond has its origin in the Tavernier Blue, which was the precursor diamond of the Blue Diamond of the French crown and, which later gave rise to the Hope Diamond. This provenance was accepted by many historians and gemologists for many years and was scientifically proven with 3D imaging and prototyping technology in 2005.

Initially, this diamond was in the Kollur mine located in Golconda, an abandoned fortress and city in India. At that time, the diamond had characteristics of a triangular shape and with a weight of 115 carats, the equivalent of 22.44 grams.

Its name originates from the businessman named Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who initially obtained the gem, this happened during the years 1660 and 1661. Later this stone was known as the "Blue Diamond" of the French Crown, or French Blue in the French language.

What is its value of the Hope diamond?

The Hope diamond turns out to be one of the most expensive jewels currently on the gem market, it has a price of 9.8 million dollars and its weight is 10.06 carats.

Blue diamonds are generally oddly shaped and have small carats, so finding a diamond that weighs more than ten carats is really abnormal. This spectacular and astonishing diamond is surrounded by pink and white diamonds and is on a platinum and rose gold base, which is a marvel of jewelery in the eyes of those who observe it.

Know the story of the Hope diamond

The story about the Hope diamond tells that it is a tradition of Indian culture and that this precious stone was extracted from the Kistna River - one of the largest tributaries in India - approximately 600 years ago and was placed in the forehead of a Hindu goddess named Sītā who was married to the god Rāma . Over time, this gemstone was sculpted by a sun god who gave it the original style in the shape of a triangle.

Legend has it that there was a Hindu priest in the temple, and upon observing the majesty that the diamond had, he grasped that it should be for him and committed the act of theft. Once they realized that he had stolen the diamond, they tortured him to the extreme that they murdered him.

Continuing with the story of the mysterious Hope diamond that represents being a beautiful jewel, we go back to the seventeenth century, where we find Jean-Baptiste Tavernier who is by profession a merchant, adventurer and founder of business in India.

This merchant man, known as Tavernier, arrives in a region known as Golonda, which in its surroundings was called the "Valley of the Siamonds", it is presumed that in the whole world it was the first territory where these magnificent precious stones were born.

In the Tavernier lands, during the years 1640 and 1667, a huge rough diamond with a dark blue hue was found weighing approximately 112 carats, which was mined from the Kollur mine. Blue diamonds are characterized by being strange, it is estimated that only 1 can be found with that hue out of 200 thousand. This businessman transports this fabulous gem to Paris to place it alongside other precious gems from his collection. Once King Louis XIV hears Tavernier's story he marvels at it.

Being the year 1669, Louis XIV decided to obtain a large quantity of diamonds by paying a valuable sum equivalent to 147 kilos of pure gold, but this seeing that the great "French Blue" did not come to him, who called him with that name, giving honor to whoever it was. he discovered, from that moment on, due to the performance of King Louis XIV, the fashion for the use of diamonds began; so pearls were relegated to the background within royalty. But incredibly from this time onwards the curse that this diamond carries has spread.

The King orders the jeweler of the Royal Court called Sieur Pitau to sculpt the diamond, who proceeds to cut and carve it, transforming it into the "Blue Crown Diamond", and this immediately becomes part of the collection of garments owned by the Monarch.

The King, enchanted with the wonder that the diamond represented, begins to wear it as if it were a necklace symbolizing the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is an order of chivalry founded in 1429 by the Duke of Burgundy and the Count of Flanders III, from Burgundy in Europe, she wore it with a gold-encrusted bow when she attended some important commemorations.

The merchant Tavernier raised enough money that allowed him to buy the title of aristocratic and obtain a huge property, but the curse had already taken hold of him. By then, Tavernier declared bankruptcy and slipped away to Russia, where later in 1869, he was found dead from hypothermia while his entire body was eaten by vermin and vermin.

They say that the "Blue Crown Diamond", while it was in the property of King Louis XIV, caused misfortunes to those who took it or obtained it.

It also tells the story of this precious gem, that Nicholas Fouquet, who was a French statesman and Superintendent of Finance of King Louis XIV, and exercising functions in the government, took the diamond on loan to wear it in a great official celebration, and for this reason he was censured for abduction and ended up imprisoned, where in 1680 he was visited by death.

Likewise, the story relates that the King had a mistress named Madame de Montespan, who upon having knowledge of this spectacular jewel, lovingly requested the king to give her one of these garments, which later the unfortunate man died in the forgetfulness of all, this happened in the year 1707.

Among so many stories that the Hope diamond presents, we continue with more of them: it is said that on December 7, 1715, in a special visit that the ambassador of the Shah of Persa made to King Louis XIV, he showed the gem to the ambassador; coincidentally that same year, King Louis XIV died of gangrene. It was then that Louis XV, successor of the King, authorized the diamond to be stored in a chest, it is not known if he was already aware of the legend that the diamond attracted misfortune and bad luck. Fortunately Louis XV did not suffer from tribulations. (See article: Pandora's Box )

Once the diamond reaches the French crown, King Louis XVI of France presented the precious jewel to María Antonia Josefa Juana de Habsburgo-Lorena, better known under the name of Marie Antoinette of Austria, who was an Archduchess of Austria. and queen consort of France and Navarre; Not believing in the gloomy legend that surrounded the diamond, he placed it around his neck without regard, and on a special occasion he lent it to Princess Maria Teresa Luisa of Savoy, Princess of Lamballe who was a French aristocrat. At that time, Marie Antoinette of Austria and Louis XVI of France, in 1793 died beheaded during the French Revolution. In 1972, Princess de Lamballe was lynched to death by a sulfur agglomeration during the French Revolution.

In 1792, during the French Revolution, a cadet named Guillot dared to steal the diamond and took it to London in order to sell it. After 4 years passed, this cadet was discovered when he was trying to market it and ended up incarcerated.

As a result of this fact, the trail of the diamond is lost, but soon after a stranger takes the diamond to a Dutch carver named Wilhelm Fals, who broke the gem into two pieces. One part was obtained by Carlos Federico Guillermo, who was the Duke of Brunswick, and in less than two months he finished with his wealth; and the other part was guarded in his workshop by the Dutch gem sculptor. The father of the carver, Wilhelm Fals, stole the diamond from his own father with the intention of marketing it to a Frenchman named Beaulieu, and when the young Fals realizes that his father had died from suffering, he removes the life.

The French Beaulieu, when he learns the tragic news of the previous owner, sells the stone to a man named David Eliason, who was a tanner of Jewish origin, who was also frightened to learn of the cursed history of the diamond and immediately offers it to the King George IV of England. This English king decided to fit the diamond in his crown, and then in 1822 he lost his mind reaching dementia and died eight years later.

In the story of the Hope diamond we meet Sir Henry Hope, who is a banker, a merchant by profession and also likes to collect diamonds. Already aware of the dark legend that marked such an appreciated and desired jewel, he did not accept to take risks, so he hires a group who he asks them to organize a magical ritual to exorcise the majestic jewel. With the ceremony supposedly the gem was regenerated from causing misfortunes, and then he proceeds to baptize it with his name. As for Sir Henry Hope, he did not tell of misfortunes in his life. But after his death the collection of precious stones passed as an inheritance to his descendants of the Hope line.

After the death of Mr. Henry Hope in 1862, his wife named Adele is the one who inherits it, and in 1884 when she dies the inheritance passes into the possession of his daughter named Henrietta, who married Duke Henry Pelham- Clinton; when they are surprised by death, immediately the heir is his son Henry Francis Pelham-Clinton Hope, who inherited the collection, including the Hope diamond. At that time, Francis was not authorized to market the diamond, so he should wait for the permission that the Court will grant him.

The heir Francis Pelham-Clinton Hope married his lover, who was an actress of American origin who boasted of having worn the diamond when he attended intellectual meetings and that in fact, they say that he arranged for an exact replica to be made for him to wear it. at these meetings, without her husband's knowledge. In 1896, Mr. Hope is ruined, and since he did not have authorization from the Court to sell the Hope diamond, his wife is the one who helps him financially. In 1901 he received permission to sell the jewel, the following year he asked his wife for a divorce.

Thereafter, the diamond was sold to an American named Colot, but this precious gem continued its destiny of bringing misfortune to the owners, and Colot suffered a serious illness that lost his wealth and committed suicide. Later, the diamond was obtained by the Russian prince named Kanitowski, who was a person inclined to distractions, and was also an exaggerated millionaire. Once this prince had in his hands the coveted Hope diamond, he gave it to his lover, a star of French origin. In the following days there was a controversy between the prince and Kanitowski who proceeded to shoot his lover, the diamond was lost amid so much confusion that he contracted the fact.

Thus continues the long history of the Hope diamond, that the next owner of this jewel passes into the hands of a lady named Subaya Hamid who received it as a gift from her spouse named Abdul Hamid II, King of Turkey; his wife was killed by her own husband. This King did not have good luck and lost the Turkish sovereign that originated the revolution, and ended his life in prison.

The Hope diamond, after having been in the possession of all these royal characters, mysteriously disappears into the sea and then appears in a safe belonging to a French bank. A journalist man who was the director of the Washington Post, managed to have the jewel through this bank, which later lost its capital, surprisingly bankrupt. The journalist's spouse suffered a serious illness and died, and her first-born son was dragged by the wheels of a vehicle that ended his life.

By 1910, the diamond passed into the possession of P. Cartier, and he offered it for sale to the McLean family, who suffered great and varied misfortunes that affected different members of this family. One of the first-born of this lineage, being just eight years old, was run over by a vehicle and died on the spot. One of the daughters of this family ingested an overdose of sleeping medications that caused her death. The father of this family group dies in a hospital due to severe depression. Mrs. McLean had the diamond guarded for 20 years in a secure vault. When she was 20 years old, the granddaughter named Evelyn Walsh Mac Lean passed away strangely in Texas.

In 1949, the American jeweler and diamond expert known as Harry Winston, decides to buy the diamond to display it in his "Jewelry Court" which is a collection of precious stones in different museums that are in institutes in the United States. It was then in the middle of 1958 that the expert jeweler made several geometric cuts to the diamond to increase its luminosity. During that year he gave it as a donation and was sent in a rag-type paper envelope to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The somewhat malicious museum director would not accept such a donation, as he had received innumerable written communications informing that the diamond was cursed and that as a consequence it was going to bring bad omens and misfortune to the country.

Knowing the trajectory of the diamond, various speculations began to arise that the diamond was cursed, while the postman who carried the jewel was severely run over; his wife died of a heart attack, their home burned down, and his pet, who was a faithful dog, lost his life suffocated on his own leash that he wore around his neck.

Finally, the Hope diamond ends up on display in the Harry Winston Pavilion, where it is seen by millions of people who attend the venue. It has also been exhibited at the Louvre Museum and in South Africa.

For the first time in 2009, the frame was removed to show it naked to commemorate 50 years of its donation. It was when the Harry Winston label showed three new and different designs of an eventual setting, where many people voted through the Internet, choosing their favorite which turned out to be: a piece of platinum and baguette diamonds, which seems to hold the jewel two hands, currently remains on display, and they say that his original mount will soon be placed on him.

Conclusions of the Hope diamond

The majestic and fascinating jewel known as Diamond Hope was discovered in the seventeenth century, it has crossed the seas and has been in the hands of many Kings and nobles who have been enchanted by the presence of such a wonderful stone. The stories of its origin are contained in a cumulus and infinite journey that began in India in the early 1600s, traveling through Europe to the Court of the King of France, the well-known Louis XIV.

The Hope diamond was lucky enough to walk among many hands of different famous merchants of the time who were specialists and connoisseurs of spectacular gems that came from India to France. In 1792 the trace of this diamond is unknown for approximately 20 years, it was then until the year 1812 that a London businessman known as John Francillon found it and recovered it, and in 1922 he sold it to the King. George IV of England.

Over the years, the members of the British crown make the decision to sell the gem, so they go to the gemologist Henry Philip Hope who obtains it, and on a trip he transports it to the United States. This precious and enigmatic jewel belonged to the Hope family until 1901, who gave it up for sale to English collectors, and returned to New York in 1912 at the insistence of Evalyn Walsh McLean, who was a mining heir and member of the American community. who was famous for being the last owner of the Hope Diamond, and entrusts Cartier to sketch an exclusive one for her to show off.

Hope Diamond on the Titanic

This precious and unique diamond was the inspiration for the jewel worn by actress Kate Winslet in the famous movie called Titanic, along with actor Leonardo Di Caprio. This film develops its plot based on a necklace that has a huge heart-shaped diamond, whose owner was King Louis XVI; They give this necklace the name "The Heart of the Ocean" and it was created through a diamond.

The development of the movie Titanic begins with the story of a treasure hunter who goes in desperate search of the precious jewel, and this fact leads him to meet its new owner and main protagonist named Rose.

The protagonist Rose tells the story that she lived on the Titanic, where her fiancé Cal shows her his love by giving her the necklace, this love is not returned to Cal by Rose. The movie Titanic contains a scene if you like the most famous one where Rose asks Jack to design "the diamond" for her. After they tricked him, Cal attributes to Jack that he stole the diamond for which he is imprisoned.

When the protagonist arrives in New York City, she observes that the necklace is found in Cal's jacket pocket, this happened during the dive of the ship. But Rose in no way divulges this to the treasure hunters. Once the protagonist finishes with her story, she goes to the stern of the ship and throws the necklace into the ocean, where it is lost forever.

Summary of the Hope diamond

The famous Titanic movie is a mixture of fiction with reality, as well as its protagonists and the presence of the diamond, of course, is part of the spectacular saga. What did not come to mind to the producer and film director James Cameron, is that when he referred to the movie Titanic, which was enveloped by fiction and reality, there was a blue diamond necklace on board the ship, but the director did not know of its existence during the filming of the saga.

Several information presses have communicated that Cameron had the inspiration for the production of the film based on the Hope diamond, but they really say that these publications have no veracity, because the director did not know the history of the Hope diamond at that time.