Hope Diamond
Diamond
45.52 carats
| Gemstone: | Diamond |
|---|---|
| Source: | Kollur Mine, India |
| Weight: | 45.52 cts |
| Uncut Weight: | 110.5 cts |
| Colour: | Dark grayish-blue |
| Clarity: | VS1 with whitish graining |
| Cut: | Cushion |
| Current Owner: | Smithsonian Natural History Museum |
| Current Location: | Smithsonian Natural History Museum |
| Information Source: | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond |
| History: | In mid-17th-century India, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier bought a sapphire-blue diamond and named it the Tavernier Blue. In 1669 he sold the stone to Louis XIV, France’s Sun King. It became known as the Blue Diamond of the Crown and remained with the royal family until 1792. Later Henry Philip Hope from London bought it sometime before 1839 and gave it his family’s name. The stone stayed with the Hopes until 1901. It then took two side trips to owners in Turkey and Paris. In Paris, Pierre Cartier tried to enhance the diamond’s appeal by adding fictional tales and exaggerated stories. In 1911 Evalyn Walsh McLean bought it for $180,000. McLean died in 1947 and in 1949 her heirs sold it to pay debts. Harry Winston bought the Hope, along with McLean’s other jewelry, for about $1.3 million. In 1958 Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where it’s still on public display. |
| Dimensions: | 26x22x12 mm |