The Curse of
The Hope Diamond
By
© 2004 Bobette Bryan
 The
Hope Diamond is more aptly named the Diamond of Death, for it's thought to
hold a curse that brings tragedy and misfortune to all who possess it. The
blue diamond is thought to have originally came from the Kollur mine in Golconda,
India and had a weight of 112.5 carats, making it one of the world's largest and
most valuable jewels.
According to legend, a priest stole it from the
forehead of an Hindu idol which was dedicated to Rama Sita.
The priest was tortured to death.
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French merchant, acquired
the jewel in 1642 and took it to Europe. In 1668, he sold it to King Louis
XIV who had the court jeweler cut it to just over 67 carats to enhance its
brilliance and named it "The Blue Diamond of the Crown." The King wore it
on ceremonial occasions. Misfortune met Louis as well. He died a
shattered man with his empire in ruins. The diamond, known as the "French
Blue," was left to his heirs who fared no better. Princess de Lamballe was
beaten to death by street mobs and King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were
beheaded--the French Crown jewels were stolen along with the Blue Diamond of the
Crown.
 As
for Tavernier, he didn't escape the curse either.
He returned to India, hoping to make another fortune and was
set upon by a pack of wild dogs. In short order, he was torn to pieces.
For a while the diamond vanished but it would
resurface.
Queen Maria Louisa of Spain wore a diamond that looked
much like the French Blue in a portrait painted by Goya in 1800.
There are reports that the jinxed diamond was recut to its present size of
45.52 carats (about walnut sized) by Wilhelm Fals, a Dutch diamond cutter to
hide the jewel's identity.. Fals is said to have died of grief after his
son, Hendrick stole the gem from him. Hendrick, in turn, committed suicide.
Next it turned up in London. King George IV
acquired it and died penniless in 1830.
Wealthy London banker, Henry Philip Hope, would
be its next owner and would give the cursed jewel its name.
Unfortunately, the name didn't lend that quality to the evil stone and
when it was passed down to his nephew's grandson, Lord Franci Hope, the
unfortunate owner suffered from an accidental shooting that caused him to have
his leg amputated. In addition, he went bankrupt and was forced to sell
the diamond in 1902.
It changed hands several times during the next few
years. Some claim that it was bought by An Eastern European prince who
gave it to an actress of the Folies Bergere and later shot her. A Greek owner
and his family plunged to their death over a precipice in an automobile
accident. The Turkish sultan Abdul-Hamid II had owned the gem only a few months
when an army revolt toppled him from his throne in 1909.
 The diamond got into Pierre Cartier's hands and
in 1912, it was sold to Evalyn McLean, the eccentric wife of American
tycoon, Edward Beal McLean for $180,000. Worried about the diamond's
curse, Pierre told her all about its history before he sold it to her, but
she wasn't worried, claiming that objects usually considered bad luck turned
into good luck for her.
She was wrong.
Not long afterward, Edward Mclean's mother and two household
servants died. Then the McLean's nine-year old son was killed in a
auto accident, and their 25-year old daughter committed suicide with an overdose
of sleeping pills. Edward and his wife divorced, and he died in a mental
institution.
American jeweler, Harry Winston bought the jewel (which
by now had a gem-studded necklace) from the McLean estate and in 1958, and
gave it to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. It was
valued at $100 million dollars, and is kept in a special safe, where it's,
hopefully, unable to cause further harm. Perhaps his unselfish act,
finally ended the curse. But I certainly wouldn't want to find out
personally. Would you?
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