The Curse of the Hope Diamond
A deep blue diamond is said to bring disaster to its owners. Under ultraviolet light, it glows red like a hot coal.
What was reported
The Hope Diamond, a 45-carat blue diamond, came from India and was sold to Louis XIV of France in 1668. Stolen during the French Revolution, it reappeared in London, was cut down, and passed through the hands of bankers and heiresses, ending with the jeweller Harry Winston, who gave it to the Smithsonian in 1958, sending it by ordinary registered mail.
Its legend says it was stolen from the eye of a Hindu idol and brings ruin to whoever owns it: the French royal family lost their thrones, and later owners suffered a run of misfortune.
Explanations offered
Historians have found the curse was largely invented in the early 1900s, much of it spread by newspapers and by the jeweller Pierre Cartier, who used it to sell the stone. The red glow is real: traces of boron make it phosphoresce after ultraviolet light, which scientists have used to fingerprint it.
- When
- Since 1668
- Where
- Smithsonian, Washington, D.C., USA
- Witnesses
- Its owners, and millions of museum visitors
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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