The Hope Diamond is haunted…

At least in the eyes of some of those who once owned this mysterious and famous diamond.

The Hope Diamond is a fine blue gem-quality diamond that dates back to 1668. It was originally purchased as part of a 1,667 carat lot by King Louis XIV, of France, from Jean Baptiste Taverner, for approx $330,000. It began as a 112.50 carat rough and was recut into a pleasant heart-shaped gem in 1673 with a finished weight of: 67.12 carats. The original Hope Diamond remained an important part of the French crown jewels until it was stolen in the great robbery of 1792.

In 1830, a 45.52 carat oval-shaped blue diamond appeared on the market and was sold in London for $90,000. This gem became a part of a private collection owned by Mr. Henry Phillip Hope. It’s thought that the original 67.12 carat heart-shape was recut to avoid detection. In 1906, it was sold to settle an estate and changed hands several other times before it was acquired by Pierre Cartier, who arranged its sale to an American couple, Mr. & Mrs. McLean in 1911. Mrs. McLean passed away in 1947 and, two years later, in 1949, the McLean gem collection was purchased by Harry Winston in New York. In 1958, Harry Winston donated the famous Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution where it remains on exhibit to this day.

Legend has it that those who have privately owned the Hope Diamond, over the years, were plagued by hardship, misfortune and tragedy. It certainly does have a long and mysterious past. Is the Hope Diamond cursed? Maybe Harry Winston knew something about this diamond that we don’t fully understand. We can only wonder.