Many legends and disputes surround this famed stone, which is considered one of the most valuable and sought-after gems in the world. After all, it is the forerunner of the French Blue and a member of the Court of Jewels of the United Kingdom. Let’s go into the specifics of this famous diamond. 44.5 carats, according to several sources. It was removed from its setting in 1974, and it was discovered to be 45.52 carats in true weight. It is classed as a Type IIb diamond, which means that it is semi-conductive and phosphorescence in most cases.
During the French Revolution, the Hope Diamond was taken away from its original owner. A Dutch jeweller named Wilhelm Falls, according to legend, was responsible for having it stolen. On the other hand, his son was later suspected of taking it, murdering his father, and committing himself as a result of the incident. On the other hand, the Hope Diamond was not gone for good. Eventually, the stone reappeared in the possession of a diamond merchant named Daniel Elias in 1812. Once it was purchased by the monarchy (King George IV),. Resold the property to Henry Philip Hope.
Hope Diamond
Hope diamond is a sapphire-blue gem from India, one of the world’s largest blue diamonds. It is claimed to have been carved from a 112-carat stone brought to France by jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and purchased as part of the French crown jewels by Louis XIV in 1668. Later known as the French Blue, this stone was recut into a 67-carat heart in 1673 and vanished following the 1792 crown-jewel robbery. It is thought to be the source of the 45.5-carat Hope Diamond, named for London financier Thomas Hope, who bought it in 1830. The Hope diamond is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
Diamond is a mineral made entirely of carbon, and it is the most popular gemstone and the hardest naturally occurring mineral known. Diamonds have a variety of vital industrial applications due to their high hardness.
| Australia | 25,000,000 | 29.4 |
| Congo (Kinshasa) | 24,000,000 | 28.2 |
| Russia | 15,000,000 | 17.6 |
| South Africa | 9,000,000 | 10.6 |
| Botswana | 8,000,000 | 9.4 |
| China | 1,000,000 | 1.2 |
| United States | 300,000 | 0.4 |
| other countries | 3,000,000 | 3.5 |
| world total | 85,000,000 | 100** |
Carats
The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat blue diamond with a cut of emerald. The blue diamond in question is the largest blue diamond ever unearthed to date. The Hope family has owned the property since 1824, and their name is hope. It is a recut diamond from the original “Blue de France.” In 1792, . stole the crown. It was discovered in an Indian mine.
The Hope Diamond has earned the reputation of being a cursed diamond because some of its succeeding owners have experienced a tumultuous, if not disastrous, ending. It is currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., United States, among other places.
Hope Diamond Price Throughout History | Hope Diamond Curse | Hope Diamond Investing Value
According to the International Diamond Classification System, it is classified as a Type IIb diamond.
The diamond has been compared in size and shape to a pigeon egg, which is “pear-shaped,” and a walnut, which is “round.” Approximately one inch and seven-eighths of an inch and fifteen-thirty seconds in length, width, and depth are measured by 25.60 mm, 21.78 mm, and 12.00 mm.
It has been described as a “fancy dark greyish-blue,” as well as “dark blue in colour” and having a “steely-blue” hue, as well as “dark blue in colour.”
The stone exhibits an unusually intense and intensely coloured type of luminescence. When exposed to short-wave ultraviolet light, the diamond emits a brilliant red phosphorescence that lasts for a long time after the light source has been turned off. This strange property may have contributed to the stone’s reputation as a cursed stone.
This diamond is a beautiful addition to any collection, a brilliant antique cushion cut with a faceted girdle and additional facets on the pavilion.
History
French Period
Several rumours claim that the Hope diamond is cursed and that anyone who comes into possession of it will die: Tavernier would have been consumed by wild beasts after being wrecked, but in reality, he died in old age in Moscow the age of 84, instead of being devoured. Having the gem cut down from 112.5 carats to 67.5 carats, Louis XIV dubbed the diamond he had gotten “Violet de France” after the country where it was found (in English: French Blue, hence the deformation of the current name).
During the heist of the Crown jewels of France in September 1792, the diamond was taken from the national furniture repository and placed in a safe deposit box. The diamond, as well as its thieves, are transported from France to England. The stone was recut there to make it more easily sold, and no sign of it can be found until 1812, exactly twenty years and two days after the theft, giving the authorities enough time to order its return.
British period
A few years later, the stone, which had already been cut by the merchant and receiver Daniel Eliason, was sold to Thomas Hope, a banker in London and member of a wealthy lineage who owned the Hope & Co. bank, who died in 1831. The stone had been cut by the merchant and receiver Daniel Eliason in 1824.
The stone is the subject of a life insurance policy insured by Thomas’ younger brother, Henry Philip Hope, a gem collector. It is carried by Thomas’ widow, Louisa de la Poer Beresford, a gem collector herself. As long as it remains in possession of the Hope family, the diamond is known as the Hope diamond and appears in the inventory of Henry Philip after his death (without children) in 1839.
The stone was inherited by Thomas Hope’s eldest son, Henry Thomas Hope (1807-1862), and was first displayed in London in 1851 during the Great Exhibition and subsequently in Paris in 1855 during the International Exhibition. The marriage of his adoptive daughter Henrietta, the sole heir, to a man named Henry Pelham-Clinton (1834-1879), who was already the father of a kid, takes place in 1861.
On the other hand, Henrietta is concerned that her stepson would waste the family fortune, so she forms a “trustee” and transfers the Pierre to Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton, who is Henry Francis Hope Pelham-grandchild. Clinton’s (1866-1941). In the form of life insurance, he received from his father in 1887.
As a result, he can only be released from the stone with the permission of the court and the board of trustees. Henry Francis lives beyond his means, which contributes to his family’s financial ruin in 1897. His wife, actress May Yohé (in), is the sole provider for the couple’s necessities.
. Had sold the stone to assist May in paying off her debts by the court granted her permission to sell it in 1901, and May had already gone with another man to the United States. A resale of the stone took place in 1902 when Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton sold it to London jeweller Adolphe Weil, who sold it to American broker Simon Frankel for $ 250,000.
American
Between 1910 and 1911, hope was owned by a succession of owners, including Pierre Cartier, the son of the famed jeweller Alfred Cartier (from 1910 to 1911), who sold it for 300,000 dollars to Evalyn Walsh McLean. He owned it from 1911 until he died in 1947, after which it passed to Harry Winston in 1949, who presented it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in 1958. The Smithsonian Institution is the nation’s premier museum.
Winston delivers the stone to the Smithsonian Institution by mail in a small parcel covered in Kraft paper to keep the shipment as discrete and secure as possible during transportation.
The diamond, which is still the largest blue diamond ever discovered to date, is still visible in the famed institution, where it benefits from a reserved room: it is the second most admired art object in the world (with six million visitors each year), after the Mona Lisa at the Louvre (eight million annual visitors).
Is There a Diamond that is More valuable than the Hope Diamond?
More than four times the size of the Hope Diamond, which weighs more than 187 carats, is the Foxfire Diamond, which weighs more than 187 carats. It is estimated that more than 100 million people have seen the Hope Diamond, a bluestone cut into a 45.52-carat heart-shaped diamond that Harry Winston donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, according to the museum.
The Hope Diamond is one of the most well-known and valuable diamonds globally, and it is also one of the most expensive. This deep-blue diamond is 45.52 carats in weight and is worth over USD 350 million! Undoubtedly, the legendary curse that is said to follow this gem and its owners is one of the elements that make it so well-known today.
Is it Possible that the Hope Diamond was on the Titanic?
The Hope Diamond was not on board the Titanic when it fell; it was owned by Mrs. Evelyn McLean, a prominent Washington socialite who had not yet set sail on the ill-fated ship when it went down. In 1947, after she passed away, the house was auctioned to pay off her obligations. The precious stone has its own story to tell, which may be the subject of a feature film in and of itself.
Who was Responsible for Cutting the Hope Diamond?
A Dutch jeweller named Wilhelm Falls was responsible for cutting the 115-carat Hope Diamond down to the 45-carat Blue Hope Diamond that we see in the museum today. After the diamond was cut, he met with unfortunate circumstances when his son allegedly stole the diamond, murdered his father, and committed suicide.
The Hope diamond’s distinctive blue colour is why most people think it to be worth a great deal of money. A school of thinking says that while diamonds are usually invariably colourless stones in nature, on infrequent occasions, one Can find a coloured stone with a colour, such as blue, in the case of the Hope diamond.
What is the Source of the Hope Diamond’s Red Glow?
The Hope Diamond is a 45.52-carat (9.104 g) diamond that was discovered at the Kollur Mine in Guntur, India, in the 17th century and first extracted there. It has a blue tint due to trace levels of boron present in it. Because of its enormous size, it has disclosed fresh facts regarding the formation of diamonds.
This famous diamond exhibits flaming red luminescence that occurs when exposed to ultraviolet light and lasts for more than a minute, which most people do not get to see. The Hope Diamond’s mystique and attraction were further enhanced by the mysterious red glowing, which was uncommon in other blue diamonds at the time.
Is the Curse of the Hope Diamond Real?
The diamond was purchased by Henry Thomas Hope in 1839, which is how it came to be known as the Hope Diamond. Following Hope’s death, the diamond was passed through the hands of a number of other owners. However, while the Hope diamond is the most well-known cursed diamond in the world, it is only one of numerous such stones.
The beheading of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette are frequently regarded as examples of the curse’s victims. The diamond had been missing for several decades and had been recut into a lesser gem. According to unsubstantiated reports, the estate of Britain’s King George IV, whose estate sold it to pay off his vast debts, may have owned the building.
Conclusion
The Smithsonian Institution has loaned the Hope Diamond four times. It first went to the Louvre in Paris for the French Jewelry exhibit, then to Johannesburg for the Rand Easter Show in 1965. For their 50th anniversary, they Later returned it to Harry Winston. The Hope Diamond underwent restoration and cleaning procedures while at the Smithsonian. This is one of history’s most valuable and cherished diamonds. Hope Diamond’s story is terrible, but there is hope for a happy ending.
An American woman named Evalyn Walsh McLean paid $180,000 for the Hope Diamond. She did, however, have a tragic life, losing her only child at the age of nine. Her husband abandoned her, and she developed a morphine addiction. She was eventually confined to a mental institution and died there. Her daughter gave the Hope Diamond to Harry Winston after she never sold it. She died two years later, leaving behind a mountain of debt. . She sold the Hope Diamond to well-known jewellers in 1912.
