The Hope Diamond

In most circumstances, anyone who receives a diamond considers herself lucky. Unless, of course, the diamond happens to be the world renowned Hope. As famous as this diamond is, so is the mystery that surrounds it. Does it bring bad luck to anyone who owns it? Or are the occurrences of misfortune merely coincidence?

Believers in the ominous lore of the Hope diamond generally point to the fate of the Hope’s earliest owner, Marie Antoinette. Considering the fate that befell her (she was beheaded), it’s no wonder that one might conclude the diamond is cursed.

One might say that one misfortune hardly justifies a curse, but the Hope was linked to another ominous chain of events in 1830. First, the jeweler who cut the stone died of grief after learning that his son had stolen the valuable diamond. As a result of his father’s death, the son committed suicide. And, when the Hope was discovered among the young man’s possessions, the man who found it was rumored to have died the very next day.

For further evidence of the Hope’s dubious powers, there is the story of the Follies Bergere star who was shot on stage the very first time she was said to have worn the Hope. Fact or fiction? It’s hard to say. But one very ingenious jeweler, by the name of Cartier, found a way to turn the Hope’s infamous past to his advantage.

Cartier had a potential buyer, Mrs. Evelyn Walsh, who believed that anything that was purported to bring bad luck had the opposite affect on her. Thanks to the embellishments of the infamous jeweler, she bought the diamond and the legend continued to grow. While the diamond had no ill affects on Mrs. Walsh in particular, her family did, however, suffer a series of personal tragedies, including the death of Mrs. Walsh’s brother, son and daughter.

Taking all this into consideration, why then would anyone want to own the Hope? For that answer one need only see the gem. Its sapphire-like dark blue color gives it an uncommon beauty which has proved to be more irresistible than the threat of its reputation. So unique is the stone that it is impossible to establish a true value for it. The actual name Hope was not given to the stone until 1762 when it was acquired by a member of the banking family, Hope and Co.

In 1958, Harry Winston presented the 44.5-carat Hope diamond to the Smithsonian in Washington DC where its natural beauty may be enjoyed without running the risks associated with owning it.