On November 10, 1958, the Hope Diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. by Harry Winston Inc. of New York City. This is merely the last chapter of a diamond with a lengthy history, filled with pressure, explosions, execution, theft, suicide, and incredible beauty.

The Hope Diamond is created

The diamond began its life as a series of carbon atoms around 100 million years ago. Most people are familiar with carbon in the form of graphite, the "lead" in your pencil. In this form, the carbon atoms are stacked upon each other in sheets. Each atom in the sheet is attracted to each other, but the sheets can be pulled off easily. That is why the pencil lead is easily deposited on the rough surface of your note paper.

When the carbon is located deep in the earth, the extreme pressure and heat force the atoms into a compact, crystalline form. Each carbon atom is a link in a complex structure. The diamond's carbon bonds and the unique structure make it the hardest object in nature.

The Hope Diamond enters society

A french merchant, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased the Hope Diamond, probably from a mine in Golconda, India. Tavernier described the diamond as a beautiful violet. Tavernier sold the roughly cut gem to King Louis XIV of France in 1668, who loved opulent items. The King re-organized the political and social structure of France around his chateau, Versailles. In 1673, the diamond was cut for the King and this "steely blue" diamond was known as the Blue Diamond of the Crown or the French Blue. Ceremonies, parties, and cultural events were a daily occurrence at Versailles and the diamond would regularly be seen around the neck of the King.

The Curse Begins

While the Hope Diamond is not the largest or most beautiful diamond in the world, it has the most intriguing stories of death and destruction associated with it. Many believe the original gem purchased by Tavernier was used as an idol's eye in an Indian temple. It was taken from the idol and sold to Tavernier. In 1673, King Louis IV gave the diamond to Madame de Montespan, who would soon fall out of royal favor. She lent it to the King's Director of Finance, Nicolas Fouquet, who wanted to impress the King with a sensational celebration at his chateau, Vaux le Vicomte. The King was too impressed, assuming the only way Fouquet could afford to own a palace that rivaled Versailles would be through embezzling the French Government. Fouquet was sent to the Fortress of Pignerol, where he died 15 years later. The French Blue Diamond returned to Versailles with the King.

The following wearers of the diamond followed in the dark footsteps of Fouquet. Princess de Lamballie, and Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, both wore the diamond around their neck and lost their heads to the Guillotine during the French Revolution.

Enter the "Hope Diamond"

The French Blue diamond disappeared during the Revolution and re-appeared as a smaller, re-cut diamond in England around 1812. The diamond was stolen and the owner, a London jeweler died from grief when he discovered his son was the thief. The son committed suicide following his father's death. In 1830, the diamond was purchased by Henry Thomas Hope, an English banker. The blue gem becomes the "Hope Diamond." It was inherited by Lord Francis Pelham Clinton Hope. His wife, a former American stage star, May Yohe, ran off with another man and died broke and forgotten in Boston, Massachusetts in 1913.

A Turkish Adventure

The Hope Diamond was sold as costume jewelry by the Hope family when it became bankrupt. The next owner was Abdul Hamid II, Sultan of Turkey. He gave it to Subaya, one of his 237 wives and concubines. She was accused of instigating intrigue against the Sultan and was executed. He had the diamond smuggled to Paris to be sold; unfortunately, he was de-throned and received none of the proceeds.

The Hope Diamond comes to America

Mrs. Evalyn Walsh was a prominent Washington socialite who didn't believe in curses. In fact, her history was full of triumphs where others met failure. In 1910, Mrs. Walsh visited the Cartier store in Paris and was fascinated by the diamond and its history. Cartier re-set the diamond and it was on its way to America. While Mrs. Walsh did not suffer from the curse, her family did have a number of personal tragedies.

A New Owner and the Smithsonian

Shortly after Mrs. Walsh died, her collection of diamonds, including the Hope Diamond and the Star of the East Diamond, was purchased by Harry Winston Inc, a New York jeweler. They displayed an assortment of famous diamonds in their Court of Jewels exhibition. In 1958, the Hope Diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. It is now on view to millions of people who can admire the jewel without worrying about the curse of owning it.

Special thanks to the Natural History Museum for their assistance with this page.

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