Hope diamond – The cursed jewellery

Author Karl Shuker, in his book ‘The Unexplained’, mentions about the origin of the Hope Diamond as “it sparkled in the brow of an Indian idol – until it was impiously plucked out by a thieving Hindu priest, whose punishment for this unholy act was a slow and agonising death.” This is in tune with other stories about the origin of the diamond that says it formed an eye of the idol of Sita, but there is no historical confirmation regarding the same. However, it is certain that this large blue diamond was then purchased from the Indian soil by a merchant named Tavernier. He then took it to Paris, where he sold it to King Louis XIV of France. The Diamond, then known as Tavernier Blue, was ordered by the King to be cut and reshaped. The Tavernier Blue was then cut into French Blue and became one of the most iconic jewels in history. From King Louis XIV, the diamond then passed to Louis XV, who ordered a pendant to be made for the diamond. It then passed to Louis XVI, and his wife, Queen Mary Antoinette. The diamond remained in its pendant during this time and was regarded as one of the rarest diamonds in the royal collection.

Although the authenticity of such stories is debated, if we analyse the plight of a few real owners, we get to see that they were less than fortunate. One of the early owners, Mary Antoinette, the last queen of France, was mercilessly beheaded during the French revolution. A theft that took place following their execution resulted in the cursed pendant with the dazzling French Blue disappearing forever from the royal collection and history.

The French Blue reappeared in public in 1839 as the Hope Diamond, where it was cut and listed in the catalogue of Henry Philip Hope of the Hope family. However, the owner Henry Philip passed away the very year the diamond was listed in his collection, and the diamond passed many hands and eventually fell into the hands of Lord Francis Hope, who was not lucky either. After possessing Hope Diamond, Lord Francis was declared bankrupt, and his wife May Yohe divorced him. The diamond eventually reached the Frankel business, and the business faced extreme financial hardships during those years and had to sell it. The diamond was then sold to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid through Selim Habeb, and soon the Sultan was reeling under debt and had to sell all of his possessions, including the diamond. The Hope Diamond eventually reached Pierre Carter who sold it to Evalyn Walsh McLean and her husband, Edward. Though the couple initially hesitated to purchase the diamond owing to its curse, they were so smitten that they eventually purchased the blue beauty. Under Evalyn’s possession, the diamond gained great popularity and was even protected by secret service agents and guards. After the death of Evalyn McLean, the diamond was sold to pay off her debts and reached the hands of Harry Winston. The mythical curse seems to have receded by the time it reached Harry Winston. It was Harry Winston who finally donated it to the National Museum of Natural History, where it is being exhibited now. It is not known to many that Harry Winston casually wrapped the million-dollar diamond in a paper and sent it to the Museum via simple registered post!

The French Blue reappeared in public in 1839 as the Hope Diamond, where it was cut and listed in the catalogue of Henry Philip Hope of the Hope family. However, the owner Henry Philip passed away the very year the diamond was listed in his collection, and the diamond passed many hands and eventually fell into the hands of Lord Francis Hope, who was not lucky either. After possessing the Hope Diamond, Lord Francis was declared bankrupt, and his wife May Yohe divorced him. The diamond eventually reached the Frankel business, and the business faced extreme financial hardships during those years and had to sell it. The diamond was then sold to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid through Selim Habeb, and soon the Sultan was reeling under debt and had to sell all of his possessions, including the diamond. The Hope Diamond eventually reached Pierre Carter who sold it to Evalyn Walsh McLean and her husband, Edward. Though the couple initially hesitated to purchase the diamond owing to its curse, they were so smitten that they eventually purchased the blue beauty. Under Evalyn’s possession, the diamond gained great popularity and was even protected by secret service agents and guards. After the death of Evalyn McLean, the diamond was sold to pay off her debts and reached the hands of Harry Winston. The mythical curse seems to have receded by the time it reached Harry Winston. It was Harry Winston who finally donated it to the National Museum of Natural History, where it is being exhibited now. It is not known to many that Harry Winston casually wrapped the million-dollar diamond in a paper and sent it to the Museum via simple registered post!

We can never know if it once adorned the eyes of Sita’s idol, but if it did, we can only be awed at the thought of that sight, and wonder about the whereabouts of the twin diamond that formed the other eye!