Is it any wonder that it is the world's most famous gem? It was even the inspiration for the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond in the movie Titanic. The Hope Diamond at 45.52 carats isn't the largest in the world but it is the largest known deep blue diamond and is one of the rarest and most desired hues. The diamonds historical journey has added to the mystery and intrigue of the stone. More than five million people view it at the Smithsonian institution each year.
Let's start its journey:
1668: French merchant Jean-Baptiste Trevier sells a 112+ carats blue diamond from India to King Louis XIV of France.
1673: The King recuts it to a heart shape. This reduces its weight to 67 1/8 carat but improves the brilliance of the diamond.
1749: Louis XV now had the diamond, from this date it was known as the French Blue and it was set in a ceremonial piece for the order of the Golden Fleece (the piece also featured a large white diamond). It was only worn by the King.
1792: King Louis XVI gave the French Blue to Marie Antoinette. During the revolution however between September 11 to 17, the Royal Treasury was looted, gone were the crown jewels and the French blue, and for twenty years the whereabouts remained a mystery.
1872: Twenty years and two days after its disapearance, a memorandum by London jeweler John Francillon documented the presence of a 44 1/4 ct (45.5 modern metric carats) blue diamond in the possession of Daniel Eliason, a London diamond merchant. The blue diamond most likely cut from the French Blue. The person in possession of the Blue Diamond, Daniel Eliason, was established as the legal owner.
note: according to french law, the statute of limitation for any crimes committed during wartime was 20 years.
1820: The Blue Diamond was now owned by King George IV
1830 After King George IV's death, the Blue Diamond was purchased by London gem collector Henri Phillip Hope whose name it bears today.
1839 Mr Hope left the diamond to his nephew who left it to his grandson Lord Francis Hope.
1901: Lord Hope sold the diamond to Adolph Weil to pay off his debts. This London dealer soon after sold it to Joseph Frankels & Sons of New York. Then it was in the hands of Selim Habib.
1909: Habib tried to auction it but ended up selling it to CH Roserau who then sold it to Pierre Cartier.
1910: During a visit to Paris, Evalyn Walsh McLean saw the Hope Diamond but did not like the setting, while she had extravagant taste in jewelry, she ended up returning home to the United States without purchasing it. Cartier was optimistic, he changed the setting and traveled to the US, and presented it to Mrs McLean at her home. He told her that the stone was said to bring bad luck to the wearer, very well knowing that Mrs McLean believed any object that was bad luck for others was good fortune for her. His reverse psychology and sales pitch worked. She was sold and after negotiations, she purchased it for $180,000.00.
1932: Mrs Mclean often pawned the Hoe Diamond for ready cash, she also offered it to help pay the ransom for the kidnapping of Charles and Anne Morrow's baby boy.
1945: Mrs McLean dies.
1947: New York jeweler Harry Winston purchased her entire collection including the hoe Diamond.
1958: The diamond was removed from its setting and it was sent in a brown package by registered mail (insured for 1 million dollars) it arrived safely and was presented to the Smithsonian Institution in November of that year. Over five million people visit and view it today annually to this day!
