This deep-blue gemstone, weighing over 45 carat, has earned the title of the ‘world’s most cursed diamond’, thanks to the long trail of misfortune and death it has left in its trail. Tales of cursed diamonds have floated through the corridors of history from time immemorial, but few gemstones have acquired a reputation as dark as that of the Hope Diamond.
It is commonly accepted that the diamond came from the Kollur Mine of the Golconda region. However, the diamond’s true origins are shrouded in mystery. When the villagers learned of the theft, they were enraged and placed a curse on whoever owned the gem. It is important to note that there is no historical evidence supporting this account, but it has helped cement the Hope Diamond’s reputation of bringing misfortune to whoever possesses it. It became part of the French Crown Jewels and was worn by the French monarchs. In retellings of the Hope Diamond curse, Lorens Ladue is named as a Parisian dancer who came into possession of the Hope Diamond and was killed by a jealous lover.
The Hope Diamond’s recorded history begins in 1666, when French traveller and gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier purchased it in India. Tavernier sold it to King Louis XIV of France in 1668. One legend says that this blue diamond (originally weighing over 111 carats) was stolen from a temple in India, where it was placed in the eye of a statue of the Hindu goddess Sita. Tavernier’s original 111-carat diamond was later recut for Louis XIV, producing the roughly 69-carat French Blue. During the chaos of the French Revolution, the French Blue was stolen from the royal collection in 1792. It disappeared for nearly two decades before a blue diamond matching its characteristics resurfaced in London in 1812. (Also read: The cursed legacy of Koh-i-Noor: How it mysteriously affect it’s owners ) Researchers now consider the modern Hope Diamond to be the French Blue recut after its theft.
At that time, India was the “only commercial source of diamonds”, the Smithsonian Museum writes on its website. Mademoiselle Lorens Ladue is another figure mentioned in the legendary “curse” stories attached to the Hope Diamond. the Hope Diamond traces its origins back to India While it is today on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the United States.
It was from here that the diamond acquired its ironic name — the Hope Diamond. If one talks of cursed gemstones, many Indians will immediately think of the Kohinoor diamond. The Kohinoor , however, cannot match the Hope Diamond’s reputation for bringing misfortune to its owners. “Probably no jewel ever had a more sinister history than the Hope diamond dug out of India centuries ago. It is believed that the diamond was eventually passed on to Lord Henry Francis Hope of the Hope Banking family. After losing his fortune, Lord Henry Francis Hope sold the Hope Diamond to a jeweller named Simon Frankel. The New York Times report noted how Jacques Colet purchased the diamond from Simon Frankel and later died by suicide. The diamond then passed on to Prince Ivan Kanitovski, who was murdered by Russian revolutionaries shortly after acquiring it. (Also read: Earth’s own stardust: A look at what makes each natural diamond unique ) Another ‘victim’ of the Hope diamond curse is believed to be Simon Mencharides (also spelled Maoncharides). He died with his wife and children after driving his car off a cliff. Pierre Cartier played an important role in turning those rumours into a selling point. When Cartier was trying to sell the diamond to American heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, he embellished the stories about its supposedly cursed past, including the claim that Tavernier had stolen it from a Hindu idol. The American heiress wore the blue gemstone frequently, despite the stories surrounding it. Then, her husband left her for another woman and her daughter died of a drug overdose. Evalyn eventually had to sell her newspaper, The Washington Post. She died owing huge debts. The Smithsonian describes the list of alleged tragedies as highly inaccurate and it is important to note that many of the stories lack independent confirmation.
In 1839, a gem catalogue from the Hope banking family mentioned a large blue diamond weighing 45.5 carat. To its owners it has been credited with bringing at different times death, disaster, disgrace, and poverty,”a 1911 article in the New York Times said. He and his wife May Yhoe squandered their wealth and divorced in 1902. Simon Maoncharides was a Greek merchant who owned the diamond and resold it in 1910 to Pierre Cartier, reports The Cape Town Diamond Museum on its website. Evalyn McLean eventually bought the Hope Diamond in 1911 and became one of its most famous owners. After her death in 1947, jeweller Harry Winston acquired her jewellery collection. In 1958, Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian, where it remains one of the museum’s best-known attractions.
The Smithsonian says Cartier used the dramatic history to make the stone more intriguing to prospective buyers. It has been said that after she bought the diamond, her nine-year-old son died.
