Hope Diamond in museum

The Hope Diamond is a large, deep blue diamond, currently housed in the Smithsonian Institution. The diamond is legendary for the misfortunes it supposedly visits upon its possessors. Download high resolution version (601x640, 106 KB)Hope diamond in National Museum of Natural History. ... Download high resolution version (601x640, 106 KB)Hope diamond in National Museum of Natural History. ... A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... The Smithsonian castle, as seen through the garden gate. ...

French Blue

It is believed that the Hope diamond's history can be traced to a blue diamond named "Tavernier Blue," which was originally mined from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, and was a crudely cut triangle shape of 112 3/16 carats (22.44 g). French merchant traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier purchased it sometime in 1660 or 1661. Golconda is a ruined city and fortress 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state. ... A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a two-dimensional figure with three vertices and three sides which are straight line segments. ... Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. ... Events Expulsion of the Carib indigenous people from Martinique by French occupying forces. ... Events January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. ...

In 1668, Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France. Sieur Pitau, the court jeweller, cut it and produced a 67 1/8 carat (13.4 g) stone. The stone became known as "the Blue Diamond of the Crown" or "the French Blue." It was set in gold and suspended on a neck ribbon for the King to wear on ceremonial occasions. In 1749, King Louis XV had it set on his pendant for the Order of the Golden Fleece. After his death, it fell into disuse. Events January - The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed. ... Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... This article is about courts of law. ... Jewellery (spelled jewelry in American English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... Meanings of Carat or Karat: Carat is a unit of mass for gems. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19. ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... Louis XV King of France and Navarre Louis XV (February 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was king of France from 1715 to 1774. ... The Order of the Golden Fleece (Ordre de la Toison dOr in French) is an order of chivalry founded in 1430 by Duke Philip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabelle of Aviz It was modelled on the English Order of the Garter (Philip...

During the French Revolution, when King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were held in prison, the pendant with the diamond was stolen on September 11, 1792, when six men broke into the house used to store the crown jewels. One of the robbers, cadet Guillot, took it to Le Havre alongside the Gôte de Bretagne spinel and then to London where he tried to sell the jewels. In 1796, apparently seriously in debt, he handed the spinel to Lancry de la Loyelle, who had Guillot put into prison for his trouble. There is no record of what had happened to the diamond. The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... Louis XVI Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793), was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French in 1791-1792. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Crown jewels are those that belong to the sovereign and pass to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. ... Location within France Le Havre is a city in Normandy, northern France, on the English Channel, at the mouth of the Seine. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ...

The Hope diamond was recorded in the possession of a London diamond merchant Daniel Eliason in September 1812, which marks the earliest point that the exact history of the Hope diamond can be definitively fixed. This diamond, now known as the "Hope Diamond," was generally believed to have been cut from the French Blue, a fact that was finally verified in 2005. It is often pointed out that the Hope Diamond came into recorded history almost exactly 20 years after the theft of the French Blue, just as the statute of limitations for the crime had expired. 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A statute of limitations is a statute in a common law legal system setting forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceedings based on those events may begin. ...

It is believed that it may have been acquired by King George IV of the United Kingdom, although there is no record of the ownership in the Royal Archives at Windsor. George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ...

Hope Family

Next the diamond appeared in the gem collection of Henry Philip Hope in 1824, who had it set on a brooch and sometimes loaned it to Louisa Beresford, wife of his brother Henry Thomas Hope to host society balls. Henry Philip Hope died in 1839 and his three nephews fought in court for ten years over his inheritance until Henry Hope acquired the gems, including the Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond was in display in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1855 but was usually kept in a bank vault. 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Great Exhibition was an international exhibition held in Hyde Park London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851 and the first in a series of Worlds Fair exhibitions of culture and industry that were to be a popular 19th century feature. ... Events January 23 - The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in Oregon is named after Boston, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, with Portland winning. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Henry Hope died on December 4, 1862 and his wife Adele inherited the gem until her death in March 31 1884. The next owner was Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton, son of a daughter of Henry and Adele Hope, Henrietta and the 6th Duke of Newcastle, who had to add one additional Hope to his name. He received his inheritance in 1887. However, he had only a life interest to his heritance, meaning that he could not sell anything.

Sir Francis' expensive tastes brought him to bankruptcy. In 1894 he married US actress May Yohe. Yohe later claimed that she had worn the Hope Diamond in social gatherings but Sir Francis claimed otherwise. In effect, Sir Francis lived on his wife's salary from her theatrical performances. His bankruptcy was discharged in 1896 but he sought a court's permission to sell his life inheritance. In 1901 he received permission to sell the Hope Diamond.

Road to USA

The diamond was sold for £29,000 to London jewel merchant Adolf Weil, who sold it to US diamond dealer Simon Frankel, who took it to New York. There it was evaluated to be worth $141,032 (equal to £28,206 at the time). In 1908, Frankel sold the diamond to Salomon Habib in Paris for $400,000. It was presented in an aborted auction on June 24 1909 alongside other possessions of Habib to settle his debts. Habib sold the Hope Diamond to Paris jewel merchant Rosenau for a sum equal to $80,000. In 1910, Rosenau sold it to Pierre Cartier for 550,000 francs. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Pierre Cartier (born in Sedan, France in 1932) is a mathematician - more specifically, a category theorist. ...

Cartier re-set the stone and in 1911 sold it to US socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, who initially rejected it but afterwards wore it in every social occasion she organized. When she died 1947, she had willed the diamond to her grandchildren though her property would be in the hands of trustees until the eldest had reached 25 years of age, which would have meant at least 20 years in the future. However, the trustees gained permission to sell her jewels to settle her debts, and in 1949 sold them to New York diamond merchant Harry Winston. A database query syntax error has occurred. ... Evalyn Walsh McLean, b. ... The word trustee is a legal term that refers to a member of a trust, which can be set up for any of a variety of purposes, and is entrusted with the administration of property on behalf of others. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ...

Winston exhibited the Hope Diamond in his Court of Jewels, a tour of jewels around USA, and various charity balls over the years but did not sell it. In August of 1958, the diamond was exhibited in the Canadian National Exhibition. He also had the bottom facet cut to increase the diamond's brilliance and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution on November 7, 1958, sending it through the US Mail. Winston died of a heart attack in 1978. Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is an annual event held at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada. ... The Smithsonian castle, as seen through the garden gate. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Hope Diamond in museum

Download high resolution version (541x640, 89 KB)Hope diamond in National Museum of Natural History. ... Download high resolution version (541x640, 89 KB)Hope diamond in National Museum of Natural History. ...

Smithsonian years

The Hope Diamond is part of the National Gem Collection in the Smithsonian Institution, in the National Museum of Natural History. At first it was placed inside a glass-fronted safe in a gem hall. In 1962 it was loaned to an exhibition of French jewellery in Paris and in 1965 to South Africa to the Rand Easter Show. After renovations to the gems exhibit were completed, the diamond was moved into its own display room, adjacent to the main gem exhibit, where it rests on a rotating pedestal. This exhibit is the most popular in the museum. Categories: Museum stubs | Museums in Washington, DC | Smithsonian Institution | National Mall | Natural history museums ...

The most recent examinations show the diamond to weigh 45.52 carats (9.104 g) and it is described as "Fancy dark grayish-blue". The stone exhibits a unique delayed fluorescence; like many other gemstones, it emits a dim light under ultraviolet light, but when the light source is removed, the diamond produces a brilliant red phosphorescence. Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ...

On the 9th of February 2005, the Smithsonian Institution has published the finding of its year-long computer aided geometry research on the gem and officially acknowledged the Hope Diamond is part of the stolen French Blue crown jewel. [1] (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,66560,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_7)

The Curse

First stories about the supposed curse of the Hope Diamond surfaced 1909. In the June 25 issue of The Times an article written by the Paris correspondent listed a number of supposed owners who had come to an ignoble end. Wiktionary has a definition of: Curse A curse is a prayer asking that a god or similar spirit bring misfortune to someone; an imprecation or execration, the opposite of a blessing or charm. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Times is a national quality daily newspaper in the United Kingdom. ...

The curse's origins are from India. According to legend, Tavernier stole the diamond from a Hindu idol. The diamond was one of the two eyes of the idol, and when the priests noticed it was missing, they placed a curse on whomever owned the diamond. One reason that this is not accepted is that the Hope Diamond's sister has not been found. Tavernier supposedly died of fever soon after - when he actually lived to 84 (and was not torn apart by wolves, either). The Hope diamond was blamed for the fall from the king's favor of madame Athenais de Montespan and French finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, not to mention the beheading of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Princes de Lamballe. Story added fictitious persons like a diamond cutter Wilhelm Fals (supposedly ruined when his son Hendrik stole it), Hendrik Fals (suicide) and Francois Beaulieu (starvation after he had supposedly sold it to Daniel Eliason). This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... Nicolas Fouquet (1615 — March 23, 1680) was viscount of Melun and of Vaux, marquis of Belle-Isle, superintendent of finance in France under Louis XIV. Born in Paris, he belonged to an influential family of the noblesse de robe, and after some preliminary schooling with the Jesuits, at the age... Louis XVI Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793), was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French in 1791-1792. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ...

Simon Frankel (alleged to be in financial difficulties) had supposedly sold it to one Jacques Colot (suicide); the next owner, Russian prince Kanitowski who first had supposedly lent it to French actress Lorens Ladue, who he later shot, and was later himself killed by revolutionaries; jeweler Simon Montharides (killed with his family) and Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid (the diamond was blamed for his forced abdication) who had supposedly killed various members of his court for the stone. There is no evidence that most of these people ever existed. Abdul Hamid is the name of two sultans of the Ottoman Empire: Abdul Hamid I (1774 - 1789) Abdul Hamid II (1876 - 1909) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

May Yohe later blamed the Hope Diamond for her misfortunes like her divorce from Sir Francis and her unsuccessful stage career. In 1920 she persuaded US silent movie producer George Kleine to produce a 15-episode serial The Hope Diamond Mystery, which added more fictitious characters to the tale. It was not successful. 1921 she hired Henry Leyford Gates to help her to write The Mystery of the Hope Diamond with more characters, including a fictional version of Tavernier and added Marat to the victims. She also wore a copy of the Hope Diamond, probably trying to generate more publicity to further her career. Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (May 24, 1743 - July 13, 1793), was a Swiss-born scientist and physician, who made much of his career in England, but is best known as a French Revolutionary. ...

Evalyn Walsh MacLean also added her own tales, including that one of the owners was Catherine the Great. McLean was known to bring the diamond out for friends to try on, including that of President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence Harding. Additionally, McLean often strapped the diamond to her pet dog's collar while in residence at Friendship, in north west Washington D.C. Catherine II (Екатерина II Алексеевна: Yekaterína II Alekséyevna, April 21, 1729 - November 6, 1796), born Sophie Augusta Fredericka, known as Catherine the Great, reigned as empress of Russia from June 28, 1762, to her death on November 6, 1796. ... Order: 29th President Vice President: Calvin Coolidge Term of office: March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 Preceded by: Woodrow Wilson Succeeded by: Calvin Coolidge Date of birth: November 2, 1865 Place of birth: Near Blooming Grove, Ohio Date of death: August 2, 1923 Place of death: San Francisco, California First... White House portrait Florence Kling Harding (August 15, 1860–November 21, 1924), wife of Warren G. Harding, was First Lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923. ...

Books

• Marian Fowler, Hope: Adventures of a Diamond, Ballantine (March, 2002), hardcover, ISBN 0345444868
• Susanne Steinem Patch, Blue Mystery : The Story of the Hope Diamond, Random House (April, 1999), trade paperback, ISBN 0810927977; hardcover ISBN 0517636107
• Janet Hubbard-Brown, The Curse of the Hope Diamond (History Mystery), Harpercollins Childrens Books (October, 1991), trade paperback, ISBN 0380762226