hope diamond

The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat blue diamond. The largest blue diamond ever discovered to date. Hope is the name of the family who owned it from 1824. It is a diamond recut from the “Bleu de France“. The crown stolen in 1792. It was mined in India.

The Hope Diamond has the reputation of being a cursed diamond, since some of its successive owners have known a troubled, even tragic end. Today it is among the exhibits in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C, United States.
Hope Diamond price in history | Hope Diamond curse | Hope Diamond worth

It is classified as a Type IIb diamond.

The diamond has been compared in size and shape to a pigeon egg, walnut, which is “pear shaped.” The dimensions in terms of length, width, and depth are 25.60 mm × 21.78 mm × 12.00 mm (1 in × 7/8 in × 15/32 in).

It has been described as being fancy dark greyish-blue” as well as being “dark blue in color” or having a “steely-blue” color.

The stone exhibits an unusually intense and strongly colored type of luminescence: after exposure to short-wave ultraviolet light, the diamond produces a brilliant red phosphorescence that persists for some time after the light source has been switched off, and this strange quality may have helped fuel its reputation of being cursed.

The clarity is VS1.

The cut is a cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion.

History

French period

The diamond was brought back to France by the traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who sold it to King Louis XIV. The legend of the diamond, regularly relaunched, has it that the stone was stolen from a statue of the goddess Sitâ. But a completely different story could be traced in 2007 by François Farges of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris:

the diamond was bought by Tavernier, in the huge diamond market in Golconde, when he went to India under the Mughal Empire. Researchers from the Natural History Museum have also discovered the site of the mine where the diamond is believed to originate and which is located in the north of present-day Andhra Pradesh. The second hypothesis on the origin of the diamond is even proven by the Mughal archives of Hyderabad.

Several rumors want the Hope diamond to be cursed and kill those who come into its possession: Tavernier would have ended up devoured by wild beasts, after being ruined, when in reality he simply died of old age in Moscow, at 84 . Louis XIV had the gem cut, which went from 112.5 to 67.5 carats, and called the diamond obtained “Violet de France” (in English: French Blue, hence the deformation of the current name).

In September 1792, the diamond was stolen from the national furniture repository during the theft of the Crown jewels of France. The diamond and its thieves leave France for England. The stone was recut there to be more easily sold and its trace is lost until 1812, exactly twenty years and two days after the theft, sufficient time for it to be prescribed.

British period

Around 1824, the stone, which had already been cut by the merchant and receiver Daniel Eliason, was sold to Thomas Hope, banker in London, member of a wealthy line who owned the Hope & Co. bank, and who died in 1831.

La stone is the subject of life insurance underwritten by his younger brother, himself a gem collector, Henry Philip Hope, and is carried by Thomas’ widow, Louisa de la Poer Beresford. Remaining in the hands of the Hope, the diamond now takes their name and appears in the inventory of Henry Philip after his death (without descendants) in 1839.

Thomas Hope’s eldest son, Henry Thomas Hope (1807-1862), inherited it: the stone was exhibited in London in 1851 during the Great Exhibition, then in Paris, during the exhibition of 1855. In 1861, his adopted daughter Henrietta , sole heiress, marries a certain Henry Pelham-Clinton (1834-1879) already the father of a boy:

But Henrietta fears that her stepson will squander the family fortune, so she forms a “trustee” and transmits the pierre to his own grandson, Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton (1866-1941). He inherited it in 1887 in the form of life insurance.

He can thus separate himself from the stone only with the authorization of the court and the board of trustee. Henry Francis lives beyond his means and partly causes the bankruptcy of his family in 1897. His wife, actress May Yohé (in), provides for their needs alone.

By the time the court cleared her to sell the stone to help pay off her debts, in 1901, May left with another man for the United States. Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton resells the stone in 1902 to London jeweler Adolphe Weil, who resells it to American broker Simon Frankel for $ 250,000.

American period

The successive owners of Hope in the twentieth century are Pierre Cartier, son of the famous jeweler Alfred Cartier (from 1910 to 1911) who sells it for 300,000 dollars to Evalyn Walsh McLean. It was owned from 1911 until his death in 1947, then it passed to Harry Winston in 1949, who donated it to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington in 1958.

In order to make the transport of the stone as discreet and safe as possible, Winston sends it to the Smithsonian by post, in a small parcel wrapped in kraft paper.

Remaining the largest blue diamond ever discovered to date, the diamond is still visible in the famous institution, where it benefits from a reserved room: it is the second most admired art object in the world (six million annual visitors) after the Mona Lisa at the Louvre (eight million annual visitors).

FAQ

Is the Hope Diamond cursed?

The diamond remained with the French royal family until it was stolen in 1792 during the French Revolution. Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, who were beheaded, are often cited as victims of the curse. The Hope diamond is the most famous cursed diamond in the world, but it is only one of many.

Who currently owns the Hope Diamond?

The Smithsonian Institution and the People of the United States. The Smithsonian Institution, also known simply as the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and research centers administered by the government of the United States.

Was the Hope Diamond on the Titanic?

The Heart of the Ocean in the Titanic film isn’t a real piece of jewellery, but is hugely popular nonetheless. The jewellery is however based on a real diamond, the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond.

Is the Hope Diamond a sapphire?

The Hope diamond is not a sapphire but the largest blue diamond.

Is the Hope Diamond on display real?

Yes it is. The real Hope Diamond is part of the museum’s permanent collection and can be seen at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C, United States. In the Harry Winston Gallery, named for the New York jeweler who gifted the diamond to the museum.

What is the Hope diamond worth today?

The Blue Hope Diamond is a gorgeous blue stone with a fascinating history. Nowadays, this diamond weighs 45,52 carat and is worth $250 million dollars.

Date Owner Value
Hope diamond price in 1653 Jean-Baptiste Tavernier 450000 livres
Hope diamond price in 1901 Adolph Weil, London jewel merchant $ 148,000
Hope diamond price in 1911 Edward Beale McLean and Evalyn Walsh McLean $ 180,000
Hope diamond price in 1958 Smithsonian Museum $200–$250 million

Has anyone tried to steal the Hope Diamond?

On September 11, 1792, the Hope Diamond was stolen from the house that stored the crown jewels. The diamond and its thieves leave France for England. The stone was recut there to be more easily sold and its trace was lost until 1812

Is there a twin to the Hope Diamond?

The possibility that the Brunswick Blue and Pirie diamonds might be sister stones to the Hope has been a somewhat romantic notion but it is not true.

Why is the Hope diamond so expensive?

The unique blue color of the Hope diamond is the main reason why most people believe it to be priceless. Truly colorless diamonds, in fact, are quite rare and rest at one-end of a color spectrum. At the other-end of which are yellow diamonds.

Is the Hope Diamond the biggest diamond in the world?

It is the biggest blue diamond in the world. But the Golden Jubilee Diamond, a 545.67 carat brown diamond, is the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world.

Natural diamond for sale in our gem shop

We make custom jewelry with champagne diamond as ring, stud earrings, bracelet, necklace or pendant. Champagne diamond is often set on rose gold as engagement rings or wedding ring… Please contact us for a quote.