Hope Diamond

Hope Diamond is a deep blue colored stone that refuses to highlight its name, as the diamond is believed to bestow a curse to its owners. The Hope diamond is exquisite in appearance due to its deep blue sheen and weighs 45.52 carats that makes it the largest of its kind. The diamond exhibits a cut of antique cushion and has a dreamy dark grayish-blue color.

Hope Diamond is presently housed at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The origin of the gemstone has an interesting tale - it is believed to have been excavated from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India. The world’s largest diamond was once owned by Louis XIV who designed it into a 67 1/8 carat (13.4 g) stone and officially designated the stone as the ‘blue diamond of the crown’ as it was set in the golden crown for the King to wear on ceremonial occasions. The diamond was stolen during the French Revolution in 1792 but was again found in 1830 and was bought by Henry Philip Hope of London for $90,000. The diamond got its name after the new owner.

The Blue Hope Diamond is believed to carry a curse as the discovery of the stone was the outcome of a theft. It is believed that several centuries ago, a French jeweler named Tavernier made a trip to India. From a temple in India, he stole a large blue diamond from the forehead of the statue of the Hindu goddess, Sita. The first horrible consequence of the curse was that Tavernier was tattered apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia. The second victims of the curse were the King Louis XVI and the Queen Marie Antoinette who were beheaded during the French Revolution. There are evidences of sudden deaths of most of the owners of the Hope Diamond that are believed to be the consequences of the curse that the diamond carried.

The exquisite Hope Diamond is placed in the National Gem Collection in the Smithsonian Institution, in the National Museum of Natural History. The diamond has an estimated value of $200,000,000 - $250,000,000.