The Hope Diamond Arguably the most famous and most cursed precious gemstone in history, this 45.52-carat sparkler has a long and storied past. The
Over its 350-year history, the Hope Diamond has become one of the most famous cursed diamonds. After being stolen and recut, it is said to have contributed to the downfall and death of its owners. Discovered in India in 1673, it was originally a 115-carat blue diamond.
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond is a 186 carat diamond with a curse affecting only men. According to folklore, a Hindu description of the diamond warns that “he who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God or woman can wear it with impunity.”
In keeping with these scripts, according to the legend, Tavernier did not buy the Hope diamond but stole it from a Hindu temple where it had been set as one of two matching eyes of an idol, and the temple priests then laid a curse on whoever might possess the missing stone.
However, black diamonds must have been considered worthy of a god. An unusually large, rare, and beautiful 195-carat black diamond was placed by worshippers of the idol of Brahma in the eye of the statue. The shrine, near Pondicherry in India, is the source of the myth that black diamonds are cursed.
By 1851, the jewel had been taken and marked as a special possession of Queen Victoria, with the jewel passed down through the Royal Family ever since. But the jewel is said to carry a curse with it, with legend warning the diamond will provide great misfortunes to any man who wears it.
The Heart of the Ocean in the Titanic film is not 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. The Hope Diamond is one of the world's most valuable diamonds; its worth is estimated at around 350 million dollars.
Where Is It Today? The Hope Diamond has been in the possession of the Smithsonian Institute since it was gifted by Harry Winston. It's kept on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., at the forefront of the gem collection.
Evalyn Walsh McLean was a spoiled heiress who lived a charmed life ... until she bought the Hope Diamond. She happily wore the diamond, and there are even stories that she would affix the jewel to her dog's collar and let him wander around the apartment with it.
There are dozens of examples in the show that hint at the idea that Rose Quartz wasn't exactly a great role model, least of which was the revelation that she was actually Pink Diamond, one of four evil space queens whose imperial motives terraformed thousands of planets across the galaxy, but even as Steven learned ...
Blood diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds, are defined as diamonds mined in war zones sold to finance armed conflicts against legitimate governments. These diamonds are often mined using forced labor and are traded illegally to fund violent conflicts and human rights abuses.
Trumpeted by the British press and besieged by the British public, the Koh-i-Noor quickly became not only the most famous diamond in the world, but also the single most famous object of loot from India.
After extensive remodeling of the display area, the Hope Diamond is exhibited in the new Harry Winston Room in the Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals of the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
Beyoncé is only the fourth person to ever wear the coveted jewel – and the only black woman to have done so. Women who wore it before her include American socialite Mary Whitehouse in 1957, Audrey Hepburn in 1961, and more recently Lady Gaga at the 2019 Oscars ceremony.
Then, it traded hands several times until it was bought in 1912 by Evalyn Walsh McLean, a Washington, D.C socialite, who owned it until her death in 1947. Harry Winston owned it for the next eleven years until he donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Now, the gem belongs to all Americans.
Over the years at the Smithsonian through thorough research, we've found that the curse story was made up, a modern folktale elaborated by French jeweler Pierre Cartier in Paris in 1910 to entice Evalyn Walsh McLean to buy the gem.
The Current Value Of The Hope Diamond
The largest blue diamond in the world is the famous Hope Diamond. This massive blue diamond weighs 45.52 carats and is currently valued at over \$250 million. The Hope Diamond is just one of many large blue diamonds that have been found over the years.
No, Rose and Jack Dawson, played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio respectively, aren't based on real people in Titanic – however, certain facets of Winslet's character were inspired by the American artist Beatrice Wood.
"Jim Cameron drew that and he did actually sketch me," she added, clarifying that she was in a bathing suit, and not naked, while he worked on the drawing. Fans of the director's work know that Cameron is a lover of drawing.
A gold necklace said to have been made with the tooth of a megalodon shark has been located on the wreck of the RMS Titanic in a 'breathtaking' discovery by the Magellan search team that has been surveying the wreckage.
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond, which means “Mountain of Light” in Persian, is said to carry a lethal curse.
The Crown of the Queen Mother, one of the many crowns in the Royal Family, contains a gem called the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. The Koh-i-Noor Diamond measures over 100 carats and means “Mountain of Light” in Persian - but is said to carry a lethal curse.
Thomas Blood's theft of the Crown Jewels in 1671
In 1671 Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels. Blood was a soldier, spy, and adventurer who had once fought for the king in the English Civil War, but later became involved in various plots, including one to seize Dublin Castle.