The Hope Diamond

By Megan Reynolds, AJP (GIA)

Most likely mined in the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, the Hope diamond’s history begins when it was purchased by French merchant traveler Jean Baptiste Tavernier around 1668. The large blue diamond, weighing in at 112 carats was crudely cut and somewhat triangular in shape. Tavernier quickly sold the large diamond to King Louis XIV of France along with 14 other large diamonds. King Louis did not like the look of the diamond however, and had it re-cut by court jeweler Sieur Pitau in 1673. The resulting stone was slightly heart shaped and weighed just over 67 carats and a color described by royal inventory keepers as an intense steely-blue.  The diamond was then set in gold and suspended from a neck ribbon to be worn by the King at ceremonial functions. It was at this point that the diamond became known by its first name, the ‘French Blue’.

The great diamond was passed from father to son, being reset along the way into an elaborate piece of ceremonial jewelry for the Order of the Golden Fleece.  This brooch must have truly been a wonder to behold as it nearly dwarfs the gorgeous French Blue. To be honest, this piece brings to mind the saying about trying to cram 80 pounds of stuff into a 10 pound bag. But maybe I’m just biased as I’ve never been able to understand an organization that takes as its symbol what looks to be a dead sheep.  A golden and bedazzled sheep, but still, all that aside it’s a really impressive piece of jewelry. 

Photo: Francois Farges

The French Blue remained in its ornate setting until 1792 when it, along with other crown jewels were stolen in a week long looting of the treasury during the French Revolution. The diamond did not resurface until 1812 when a deep blue diamond weighing around 45 carats was documented in the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. It is assumed that this stone was the lost French Blue diamond and that it had been re-cut to hide its origin.

Several sources then point to the diamond being sold to King George IV of England. Indeed the King can be seen in a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence wearing a large blue diamond with a striking resemblance to the Hope diamond that we know today. When George IV died, he had amassed an amazing amount of debt, and many of his possessions were sold. The diamond, it would appear, was one of those lots and then came into the possession of Henry Philip Hope who gave the stone its current name.  The diamond stayed in the hope family for just over 60 years until Lord Francis Hope sold the gem in 1901 to help pay off his debts. The diamond then changed hands several times over the next 8 years until it was purchased by Pierre Cartier.

It was at this time that the Hope diamond began to take on a life of its own. Many of you might have heard about a curse attached to the hope diamond. Legend states that horrible things will happen to anyone who possesses the famous diamond. It would appear that the story of the curse leads back to one woman, Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean. Now McLean did love a juicy story, and had always held the belief that an object that brought bad luck to others would bring only good luck to her. This was a belief that Monsieur Cartier probably used to his advantage when giving his sales pitch. It took two attempts and one reset, but in 1911 Cartier sold the Hope to Mrs. McLean. Evalyn Walsh McLean was the most flamboyant owner in the diamond’s long history. It was not uncommon for her to be seen wearing the diamond while gardening, or even undergoing major surgery. She would lend it to anyone with a special occasion, and at times she let her Great Dane wear it around his neck!



Photo: Chip Clark



But back to the curse, is it real? Most would say no as there is no printed reference until the 20^th century. It is true that many owners of the diamond seemed to have bad luck. Many of them were forced to sell the diamond due to bankruptcy, and we all know what happened to poor King Louis XVI. And it is true that even Evalyn Walsh McLean had more than her fair share of heartache. Her eldest son Vinson died in an automobile accident at the age of nine, her daughter overdosed on sleeping pills at 25 and her and her husband divorced after 20 years of marriage. However, Evalyn never let hardships mar her love of the great blue diamond.  After her death in 1947, the Hope diamond was sold to Harry Winston Inc.  who sent it on a 10 year tour or the world before donating it on November 10, 1958 to the Smithsonian Institution where it has been a star attraction ever since.

In 1974 the stone was removed from its setting to be graded. It was found to weigh 45.52 carats, was described as fancy dark grayish-blue, and was classified as a type IIb diamond. It also possesses a rare feature in that when exposed to short wave UV light, it glows bright red!



Photo: John Nels Hatelberg



Most recently, in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Hope diamond being on display at the Smithsonian, the stone was removed from its historic setting to be showcased for a short time in a more modern design. The American people were allowed a rare opportunity, to choose the setting to commemorate the anniversary. Over 100,000 people voted, and chose the setting named “Embracing Hope”.  It remained in that setting for a year before being returned to the historic platinum and diamond setting that we know and love. 

Photo: Ann Heisenfelt