Thank you for signing up to Live Science. However, there are many people who would think twice about buying it, for it is said to be cursed.There was a problem. Its first form was triangular, and before being cut, it was estimated at 112 to 115 carats. Evalyn’s daughter Evie committed suicide. One of the most spectacular gems in the world is the Hope Diamond, a beautiful blue diamond weighing over 45 carats. He could not find the French Blue.Over the years, Evalyn used the diamond for charitable purposes as Washington’s grand social maven. You will receive a verification email shortly.The diamond remained with the French royal family until it was stolen in 1792 during the French Revolution. It was set in a medallion, surrounded by smaller white diamonds, and was often worn by Louisa de la Poer Beresford, Thomas Hope’s widow, for society balls. It was last reported to be insured for $250 million.It is possible that the overblown story of the "curse", possibly fueled by Cartier and others, may have caused some hesitation on the part of the prospective buyers, the McLeans, around 1911.
Returning to France after one of those trips in 1668, he met with King Louis XIV of France at the newly built Versailles palace. The story of the curse appealed to the public and resonated with other curse stories of the era about the Titanic and Egyptian mummies. His oldest nephew, Henry Thomas Hope, acquired eight of his most valuable gems, including the Hope Diamond.
When it was donated to the Smithsonian by Harry Winston in 1958, he sent it via Registered Mail. The Hope diamond curse story is in some ways a morality fable about the cardinal sin of greed.
In fact there are dozens of others; according to "The Giant Book of Superstition" by Claudia de Lys, "Diamond superstitions are now found everywhere in the world.
The money wasn’t needed, however, and she got the diamond back.Portuguese, French, Dutch, German, and English dealers, and merchant traders flocked to India to procure diamonds, but no one acquired more gems or made better deals than Tavernier.
Newspapers proclaimed, well, maybe that the Hope Diamond really was cursed, and they wondered who would next be struck by the diamond’s malignant light rays. Its much-admired rare blue color is due to trace amounts of boron atoms. It is a deep blue diamond and is classified by GIA as a Type IIB diamond. It was resold to Pierre Cartier in 1910. A typical Eastern superstition is that the possession of extremely large diamonds always brings misfortune. It was then that her 10-year-old son, Vinson, was struck down and killed by a car near their Washington DC estate. Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, who were beheaded, are often cited as victims of the curse. He could not find the French Blue.© The Teaching Company, LLC. It is believed that he either bought or stole it from its previous owner …
As of 2009, it changed into reportedly insured for $250 million. It was apparently unearthed in the Golconda mines by the Kistna River in southwest India, and made its European debut in 1642, when it was bought by a French merchant [who sold it to] King Louis XIV for a handsome profit ... but was mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs. Well, as we’ve done the research over the years at the Smithsonian, we’ve found that the curse story was made up, a modern folktale elaborated by French jeweler Pierre Cartier in Paris in 1910 in order to entice Evalyn Walsh McLean to buy the gem. They did not cut gemstones the way we do. The idea was that somehow the wealthy, who had flaunted their wealth by obtaining the treasurers of others, were now getting their comeuppance from higher supernatural powers.Now remember, this was during the Cold War, and public anxiety was high. William Schindele, a former Secret Service man, has been engaged to guard the stone. The Frankels surely were very prosperous while the stone was in their possession, as were the dealers who held it in Europe. But he failed. All their lives they have known more of jewelry, finery, banquets, automobiles, horses, and other articles of pleasure than they have of books, with their wealth of knowledge.You cradle the 45.5-carat stone—about the size of a walnut and heavier than its translucence makes it appear—turning it from side to side as the light flashes from its facets, knowing it's the hardest natural material yet fearful of dropping it.People typically think of the Hope Diamond as a historic gem, but this study underscores its importance as a rare scientific specimen that can provide vital insights into our knowledge of diamonds and how they are formed in the earth.