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.
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.
The Current Value Of The 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.
Henry Thomas Hope left his possessions, including the Hope Diamond, to his wife Anne Adéle Hope when he passed away in 1862. Anne, in turn, decided to leave the family treasures not to her daughter, Henrietta (whose husband was careless with money and often on the verge of bankruptcy) but to her grandson, Francis Hope.
As one of the jewels of the French crown, it disappeared in 1789 only to reappear twenty years later in England. Acquired by Sir Hope, it was bought in 1910 by Cartier who turned it into a pendant. Evalyn Walsh McLean then became the owner. It is now part of the Smithsonian Institution collections in Washington.
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.
Elizabeth Taylor was known for her many expensive jewels, most of which were given to her by her then-husband Richard Burton, but the Hope Diamond was never one of them.
The Heart of the Ocean in the Titanic film is not a real piece of jewellery, but is hugely popular nonetheless.
1. Kohinoor- Priceless. The most expensive diamond in the world, the Kohinoor has been given a priceless status due to its uniqueness and brilliance. The diamond is 105.6 carats and is placed right on top of the UK sovereign's crown.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a 17th-century French merchant who traded gems, allegedly stole the 115.16-carat blue diamond from a Hindu statue, where it was serving as one of the eyes. Upon discovering it was missing, the priests put a curse on whoever was in possession of the gem.
At more than 187 carats, the Foxfire Diamond is more than four times bigger than the gallery's famous Hope Diamond. More than 100 million people have visited the Hope Diamond, a blue stone cut into a 45.52 carat heart-shaped diamond, which Harry Winston donated to the Smithsonian in 1958, the museum says.
For more than a century, historians have debat- ed the existence of “sister” stones to the Hope diamond, most notably the Brunswick Blue and the Pirie diamonds. The recent discovery of a lead cast of the French Blue, the Hope's precur- sor, has provided a more accurate model of that diamond, which disappeared in 1792.
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.
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. The Hope diamond was discovered in India in 1673; it was initially a 115-carat blue diamond.
Both influence the color, but only blue diamonds have boron inside them. Scientists believe that when the stone is exposed to bright ultraviolet light, the boron and nitrogen interact and phosphoresce, giving off a certain quality of red light.
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106 carats (621.20 g), discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
The Golden Jubilee diamond
In 1997, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand after it took specialists a few years to cut and polish. Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
The celebrated Regent Diamond has been on display in the Louvre in Paris since 1887. It is widely considered to be the most beautiful and the purest diamond in the world. But the Regent Diamond once went by another name.
Hope diamond, sapphire-blue gemstone from India, one of the largest blue diamonds known. It is thought to have been cut from a 112-carat stone brought to France by the jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and purchased by Louis XIV in 1668 as part of the French crown jewels.
What happened to Elizabeth Taylor's engagement ring? Upon Elizabeth Taylor's passing, Christie's sold the diamond at an auction commemorating her life. The stone was a crowning jewel of the event. It sparkled in its own glass case at the center of the significant collection.
The Hope Diamond is thought to be cursed as it was stolen from a Sita idol in India. The original thief was torn to pieces by dogs and everyone else who has been involved with the diamond met horrible deaths and bad luck.
Haruni estimates that The Heart of The Ocean's real-life counterpart, the Hope Diamond, is worth between $200-$250 million USD today, while other diamond experts bump that up to possibly $350 million.