There’s something about curse stories that have lured humanity’s imagination throughout history. The Polish King’s tomb curse, King Tut’s tomb, and of course, our protagonist today, the Curse of the Hope Diamond, a vengeful gem that, according to legend, brought misfortune or death to those in touch with it. From Marie Antoinette to King George IV, and a long list of alleged victims, the Hope Diamond is believed to have brought the worse afflictions.
The panic was such, that when the Smithsonian finally got its hands on it, people would worriedly write pleading letters to the museum and even the US Government to avoid the acquisition of the hem, believing it would bring the worst luck to the country. So what’s the story behind the legend of the Curse of the Hope Diamond?
The legend
Once upon a time (the 17th century to be more precise), a man by the name of Tavernier, traveled to India to find the most luscious and gorgeous gems of the world. It was then that he encounter a magnificent blue diamond adorning the forehead (or eye in some versions) of a statue of the Hindu goddess Sita. Seeing the natural and mesmerizing beauty of the diamond, Tavernier couldn’t help but retrieve the hem. To pay for his transgression, a terrible curse was unleashed, resolved to end with those involved with its theft.
Indians believed gems had protective powers, and for that reason, they didn’t really cut the gems to shape them into ornamental objects; they would only remove cracks to let their natural beauty shine. Keeping them in the best shape was thought to increase their protective powers and lure evil from those near them. In some cases, they were thought to embrace the evilness containing it so that it wouldn’t harm the people. But profaning them would definitely unleash those eerie and vengeful spirits.
Apparently, Tavernier was a gem expert but didn’t care to do enough research on these pieces; inadvertently, he took the diamond to France and sold it to no other than the Sun King, Louis XIV, who, besides paying a fortune for it, made him a noble and gave him land. Of course, the good luck wasn’t going to last forever, and legend has it, he was killed in a gruesome manner by wild dogs while being on a trip in Russia. This was just the first of a set of terrible deaths and tragedies around the diamond.
Real story
Now, all this is likely all an invention made in the 1910s by no other than Pierre Cartier, the famous jeweler, who, in an attempt to sell the Hope Diamond to a socialite woman, created this imaginative story around the diamond. So, let’s see what’s the most likely true story behind the gem.
It’s true that the first account we have of the existence of the diamond is through Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a real jeweler who traveled the world between 1640 and 1667, finding unique jewels and gems. One of his favorite places was India, at the moment the only place known to have these unique stones. So, looking to sell this magnificent stone, Tavernier met with Louis XIV in Paris and gave him the stone along over a thousand smaller diamonds.
Diamond for Kings
King Louis XIV was very passionate about all things shiny and flamboyant, so when he got the gem, he wanted to make it a statement of his image. In 1973, he re-cut the gem and named it the Blue Diamond of the Crown. According to documents and some paintings, he would use it constantly around his neck.
It was while in his possession that another alleged victim would appear. His name was Nicholas Fouquet, a man who worked at the Sun King’s court and, who allegedly wore the diamond one time for a special event. Right after wearing it, Fouquet fell out of Louis’ grace and was sent into exile. However, as impulsive as the King was, he soon changed his mind, and Fouquet was sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent 15 years rotting in a cell. Although there are some disputes about this, Nicholas Fouquet is often thought to be the man behind the famous Iron Mask.
Eventually, the Blue Diamond of the Crown passed on to Louis XIV’s great-grandson, King Louis XV and his wife Marie Antoinette. Although many believe she wore the luxurious jewel, there’s no evidence of this happening; still, believers claim their terrible faith was the curse’s doing. Naturally, that’s not the case. Still, there’s also another alleged victim tied to Marie Antoinette, Marie-Louise, Princess de Lamballe, who was a Lady in Waiting in Marie Antoinette’s court. But being honest, she was collateral damage to the French Revolution and not likely a victim of a curse.
Stolen Gem
During the so-called Reign of Terror during the Revolution times, most crown jewels were taken and stored, not very well guarded. In 1791, Garde-Meuble, where all the monarchy’s riches were being held, was constantly looted. Even Napoleon swore when becoming emperor that he would retrieve all the lost goods, and although he recovered a lot of the lost objects, the Blue Diamond of the Crown remained lost for over two decades.
Resurface
It would appear in 1812 in London. However, it didn’t look like it did when it was taken from the royal couple. It was a bit smaller and had a different cut; however, it’s still considered to be the authentic gem since it was likely that the looters would’ve cut it to make it pass for another jewel. The gem was sold to another monarch, King George IV, who also renamed it the George Blue Diamond. He advertised the gem as a trophy for defeating Napoleon and would often use it in his garments.
King George passed to history as a terrible King who squandered the Crown’s fortune and almost took the monarchy to bankruptcy. Naturally, many claim it all happened due to the curse. When George died, the diamond had to be sold to pay off the King’s debts. It was then that the gem passed into the possession of Henry Philip Hope, a diamond collector who gave it its ultimate name, the Hope Diamond.
Hope Diamond
In the late 1830s and early 1840s, the diamond came into Philip Hope’s hands. He was a famous jewel and art collector belonging to one of England’s wealthiest families. They would even help finance the Louisiana Purchase in America. But, as it had allegedly happened to other owners, they eventually squandered their fortune. The jewel was then inherited by one of Hope’s great-grandnephews, Francis, who was also a squanderer. After finding himself broke, he tried to sell the diamond, and after many court cases, he was allowed to do so to pay some of his debt. It was bought by an American jeweler named Simon Frankel, who is 1901, took the diamond to the US.
Between this time, it’s believed that the diamond came into the hands of Wilhelm Fals, a Dutch jeweler and professional diamond cutter, who had a terrible fate. He was killed by his own son Hendrik, who stole the gem from his father and eventually took his own life. Hendrick passed the stone to a man named Francois Beaulieu, and soon he would find himself broke and had to sell it. It eventually passed to the hand of a Russian prince named Kanitowski, who once lent it to French actress Lorens Ladue, who was shot while performing on stage. The Prince was also murdered by revolutionaries in the early 20th century. It eventually was acquired by Pierre Cartier.
Getting to Pierre Cartier’s hands
By the late 1900s, the reputation of the Hope diamond started dragging a lot of attention, after Frankel fell into disgrace and, of course, after Cartier’s tale. Around the time he got the diamond, he was obsessed with a novel by Wilkie Collins called The Moonstone, which basically narrated the story of a yellow diamond that was stolen from a statue of an Indian statue. When he saw in Evalyn Walsh McLean, a wealthy socialite woman, a potential buyer, he knew he had to create a story around the gem to lure her to buy it. Her husband had told Cartier that she had a thing for bad-luck objects, which according to her, unlike other people, tended to bring good fortune to her. Cartier modified the jewel a little bit to her taste, and she bought it without hesitation.
The Curse is back
Unfortunately for Evalyn, things didn’t go well for her and her family. Her eldest son passed in a car accident when he was only nine years old, her daughter took her own life at the age of 25, and her husband was eventually admitted into a mental institution where he remained until his death in 1941. It is said she would rarely take the diamond off.
Final destination: The Smithsonian
By 1949, after Evalyn’s death, the Hope Diamond went on sale. It was bought by Harry Winston, a famous jeweler who thought it would be easy to buy the gem and get a very good profit. It didn’t happen, but he managed to make some money by lending it to wealthy women who wore it at special events. Seeing he would not be able to sell it, Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, where it remains until now, even when people were reluctant to let the cursed Hope Diamond stay on US soil.
The last alleged victim was a man called James Todd, who was just the delivery guy who took the diamond to the Smithsonian. According to the story, his wife passed, he had an accident that left his leg crushed, his dog was killed, and his house was burned down to the ground. Of course, there’s no record of this whatsoever, and in the decades it’s been at the Smithsonian, no one else has had any sort of misfortune.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons