Many fans of the movie "Titanic" are interested in knowing whether the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond necklace actually existed? The prototype of this jewelry was the “Hope Diamond” gemstone.

This diamond is one of the most luxurious and expensive jewelry in the world. Its special characteristics are its cushion-shaped cut, extraordinary blue color, size 25.6 x 21.78 x 12 mm and weight 45.52 carats.

The Hope Diamond was mined in India in the Collur mines by French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and then smuggled out of the country. Before this, the stone was used in pagan rituals of local savages, in the rite of sacrifice, first of people, and then of animals for five centuries. In the 16th century, it was placed in the temple at the head of the statue of the goddess Sita. The diamond came to the merchant in a triangular shape weighing 150 carats. In Europe they called him cursed.

When the future “Hope” diamond fell into the hands of Louis XIV, he ordered it to be recut and placed in a gold pendant, while the stone was reduced by 67.5 carats. Under Louis XV, the gem was in the Order of the Golden Fleece, and later was inlaid into the French crown and became known as the Blue Diamond of the French Crown. One of the parts remaining after its cutting is in the Diamond Fund in Russia.

In 1972, the Nadezhda diamond disappeared and reappeared several decades later. Its new owner was an aristocrat from England, Henry Philip Hope. The cut and weight of the diamond had changed again by this time, so it was not immediately recognized.

There are many dark stories associated with this stone, and it is believed that the diamond brings grief to its owners. This is evidenced by the life of the last owner of the diamond, Evelyn Walsh McLean, who lived a very difficult life, with tragedies and many deaths.

After her death, the “Hope” diamond was purchased at auction by Gary Winston. He donated it to the Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington in 1958. That's where he is now.

In 2010, on the 50th anniversary of the stone's presence in the museum, it was removed from the frame and placed for a while in a new one, which was made of three rows of baguettes consisting of white diamonds cut in the shape of a rectangle. It was then returned to the old pendant, which consists of sixteen white diamonds and has historical value.

As soon as they don’t call the “Hope” diamond! And “Blue Diamond of the French Crown”, and “Tavernier Blue”, and “French Blue”, and “Blue Hope”, and “Blue Frenchman”... Behind all these loud names lies a stunningly beautiful stone that has brought misfortune to its owners for many centuries . But, despite the notoriety of the diamond, people fanatically sought the right to own it, repurchasing or even stealing the stone from previous owners. And all because “Hope” was distinguished by an amazing blue color, fluorescent red, considerable weight - 45.52 carats (9.10 g), and inexplicable magnetism. Let's try to trace the history of the bloody stone from the time of its first mention to the present day.

The traveler should be “thanked” for the appearance of the diamond Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who was considered the king's official supplier of gems Louis XIV. It was to him that the merchant presented a unique diamond in exchange for a title of nobility. Rumor has it that the stone was found in the Kollur mines of India near Golconda. Namely, in an Indian temple decorating a statue of the god Rama. This is where the reasons for the curse lie. The fact is that the huge blue diamond was the left eye of the revered deity, which is considered punishing. According to another version, “Hope”, along with other stones, was brought from a country where the plague was raging at that time. But how then can we explain the series of absurd deaths that haunted all owners of the stone? This certainly would not have happened without the angry god Rama.

The second owner of the stone, Louis XIV ordered the jewelers to cut the stone in the shape of a heart, after which he gave the diamond to one of his favorites. However, the young woman soon lost the king's favor for no apparent reason. The stone returned to the king. It should be noted that along with the brought Jean Baptiste Tavernier The plague came to Europe with jewelry, the appearance of which the clergy associated precisely with the “blue eye” of the king.

By the way, the jewelry dealer himself also became a victim of the cursed diamond. Tavernier was brutally torn to pieces by dogs. No luck and Louis XIV. The king, while dancing, stepped on a protruding rusty nail, injured himself and subsequently died of gangrene. After that the damned diamond went to Marie Antoinette, who was later publicly executed. But before that, the diamond fell into the hands of the princess. Lamballe, who was also killed. Coincidence? There are too many of them in the story of the Hope Stone.

After the execution Marie Antoinette The diamond first went to a cadet, who sold it to a jeweler. Next, the blue diamond was divided into parts, which did not save its owners from the curse. Everyone who touched the stone was killed. By the way, since then the diamond has only been 14 carats. The reduction in size did not detract from the advantages of the unique stone. Subsequently it was bought by an English banker Henry Hope, who gave him his name, and a little later died of an unknown illness. The diamond was inherited, and with it a curse: the banker’s son was poisoned by unknown assailants, and his grandson was ruined.

Another victim of the stone is the Sultan of Egypt Abdul Hamid II. Although, no. The first to fall from the curse was the mistress of the eastern ruler, who was given a blue diamond. The beautiful girl was killed, and the Sultan himself was expelled from the country. Then the stone went to the prince Kandovitsky, who gave the diamond to his beloved, the Parisian dancer Ledu. As the reader has probably already guessed, the fate of both was sad. The prince himself shot the dancer out of jealousy, after which he himself was killed in an assassination attempt. The following story mysteriously intertwines two inexplicable facts: the sinking of the Titanic and the curse of the blue diamond. The fact is that the married couple who received the ill-fated stone drowned on this particular liner.

But “Hope” brought the most misfortune Evelyn Walsh McLean, who first tried on the famous diamond during one of the weekends and then bought it. It is worth adding that by this time the blue diamond had adorned Pierre Cartier’s stunning necklace. The famous jeweler cut the stone using the pear and cushion cut method, and surrounded it with 16 colorless diamonds.

The socialite bought a dangerous pendant, as if challenging fate, which had not been very favorable to her before. However, superstition got the better of the woman, and she illuminated the diamond in the church. After that Evelyn Walsh McLean literally attached to my favorite decoration. The daughter of the owner of the Washington Post newspaper wore it without taking it off, put it on her pets, gave it to her son, who was teething at that moment... The results were not long in coming. The woman's husband became an alcoholic and was placed in an insane asylum. The son was hit by a car in early childhood, the daughter took sleeping pills. Despite this, E Velin Walsh McLean bequeathed the damned diamond to her grandchildren. It must be admitted that they were wiser than their grandmother and immediately after her death they handed over the jewelry to pay off debts to the jeweler Harry Winston.

The man was absolutely not superstitious and considered the curse a fiction. By the way, it was him (the only one of all) that the diamond spared. Probably all because the jeweler exhibited the famous diamond necklace at exhibitions, and donated all the proceeds to charity? Eventually Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution. Moreover, the manner of transferring the stone to the new owner is interesting. The jeweler sent a huge blue diamond by regular mail, wrapped in plain craft paper. Here the stone was cast on the messenger delivering the message. A man was hit by a truck, his house burned down along with his wife and dog, who were never able to get out.

This ends the bloody trail of the blue diamond. Today, anyone can admire the necklace at the Smithsonian exhibition. The stone is securely hidden from visitors behind bulletproof glass. But many argue that in this way they are trying to save not from people, but the people themselves from the curse of the stone. And scientists have also proven that the Hope diamond is far from an ordinary mineral. They irradiated the stone with ultraviolet light, after which it glowed for several more minutes.

Origin of the name of the Nadezhda diamond

This amazing stone appeared in the world for a reason. Like all famous diamonds, it has its own story. The gem got its name in honor of Henry Philip Hope, who was the brother of a banker from London - Henry Thomas Hope. Surprisingly, it was Henry Thomas Hope who bought this gem in 1824. But even before that, the diamond was stolen in Paris from the Garde Meuble during the revolution in France. When the Hope gem was held by the monarchs of France in power, it also bore other names: Blue Diamond of the Crown, French Blue or Tavernier Blue. But before we look at the detailed history of this gemstone, let’s look at its characteristics, because it is largely thanks to them that the Nadezhda diamond has become so popular.

Characteristics of the Nadezhda diamond

The gemstone comes from India and has a beautiful blue color. Its weight is 45.52 carats. The clarity of the gemstone is VS-1, with small inclusions noted. It is also worth telling about how this stone is cut, since it is very ancient and therefore belongs to antique diamonds with a faceted belt. The dimensions of the stone are 25.60x21.78x12.00 mm.

The Nadezhda Diamond has one distinctive feature - it is capable of demonstrating stunning red phosphorescence after being irradiated with ultraviolet light and switched off.

The gemstone belongs to the second type (II), without nitrogen. Diamonds of the first type (I) contain traces of nitrogen and yellowness. In turn, type II diamonds are divided into subtypes IIa and IIb.

Type IIa refers to chemically pure precious stones, perfect in structure and absolutely colorless. They are often called “purer than pure” diamonds. Such precious stones are not found very often, only 1-2% in nature. At the same time, 0.1% has structural imperfections that arise during the formation of diamonds in the mantle itself, and often during the rise of stones closer to the surface. It is thanks to these imperfections that gemstones can take on different colors that are rarely found in nature. These are the same red, pink, purple, orange and brown diamonds.

Type IIb. Diamonds without nitrogen, but with traces of boron, giving the stones that beautiful blue color. These gemstones are classified as semiconductors, unlike many others. If we take all the diamonds that exist in nature, then this type is very rare - it is 0.1% of all other diamonds.

As you already guessed, the Nadezhda diamond belongs to that very rare type of IIb gemstone. But that's not all, it is the largest blue gemstone in the whole world.

Early history

Almaz Nadezhda was stolen from the eyes of a sacred Hindu goddess, it is believed that it had some kind of curse (however, like many famous gems). Some argue that the stone got its name from the famous mines in Hong Kong, located in southern India. The Kollur mine at one time became the first place in the world to mine blue diamonds of the highest quality. It was not until 1902 that another important source of blue gemstones was discovered in South Africa. The Blue Diamond was purchased by Tavernier in 1660. At this time, the Kollur mines were actively developed. At that time, about 60,000 people worked in the mines in Golconda.

Many people have owned this gemstone. Among them were representatives of royal families, but there were also commoners. Although the diamond cost a lot of money, it often brought disappointment to its owners, sometimes bordering on despair. Sometimes it was called the “diamond of despair.” The reason for this was the curse that Hindu priests from India placed on the gemstone, because it was stolen from there from the eye of the goddess Sita herself, the wife of Rama. Decorating figurines and statues has become a cultural tradition prevalent in India since ancient times. In ancient times, they not only knew about the rarity of diamonds, but also valued these stones much more than gold. Therefore, initially diamonds began to be extolled as something divine and pure, and only later these stones turned into a symbol of power and monarchy. After all, it was the monarchs who previously considered themselves representatives of the divine on earth.

In ancient India they also mastered such amazing art as polishing and cutting diamonds. But in fact, there has been an incredible and unprecedented increase in the demand for diamonds in India since the Europeans and also the Persians began to sail here in their ships. Diamonds from India eventually found their way to their owners, mainly rulers from different countries and European monarchs. At that time, the demand for diamonds became incredibly high, and precautions had to be taken to prevent jewelry from being stolen along the way. In addition to the famous Nadezhda diamond, other stones were also exported from India, such as the Orlov diamond and the Eye of the Idol.

Jean Baptiste Tavernier On one of his several trips to India in the 17th century, in 1660, he approached a slave who was hiding something. It turned out to be a dark blue gemstone, at first glance similar to a large blue sapphire. But when Tavernier realized that the stone was in fact an extremely rare blue diamond, he bought it without regret. Then it was a rough triangular stone weighing 112 carats and smuggled to Paris. Having reached Paris, where it was very safe, Tavernier sold the stone in 1668 to the King of France, Louis XIV himself. He previously had a business relationship with Louis. In turn, King Louis appointed his representative, the jeweler Sieur Pitau, to carve and polish the stone. Pitau himself transformed the triangular-shaped gem into a pear-shaped diamond weighing 67.50 carats. As a result, the stone was called the “Crown Blue Diamond” or “French Blue”, and was also called the “Tavernier Blue”. This stone was set in gold and hung on a ribbon. The king wore a ribbon with a stone only on special occasions.

Louis XIV At the age of 30 I purchased this diamond. In the same year, 1668, great changes occurred in the life of Louis XIV. A year earlier, the Marquise de Montespan became Louis' mistress, previously her place was occupied by Madame de la Vallière. In honor of the joyful event, Louis XIV gave the diamond to Madame de Montespan, however, in 1680 she was involved in the poison case, a nasty scandal in which a number of people were accused of witchcraft and murder. Then, fearing his reputation, he got rid of her as his mistress. It is believed that the woman’s misfortune is connected precisely with the curse of this diamond.

French Minister Nicolas Fouquet also possessed this amazing gem. But he was arrested and then imprisoned in the Pignerol fortress, where he died 15 years later.

Louis the Great, or the Sun King (Louis XIV) established himself as the absolute monarch of France, the greatest European ruler of his time. He expanded France's borders in the east in the wars of 1667 and 1697, making it the greatest European power. He ruled for 54 years from 1661 to 1715, guided by the concept of dictatorship, and considering himself as the direct representative of God on earth.

Reign of Louis XIV began to decline already in 1685, when the war began between France and the alliance of Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Austria, which opposed Louis’s expansion. The king was forced to give up part of the territory acquired by France.

The war in France lasted from 1701 to 1714, all the greatest powers of Europe were in opposition, the disasters here were so great that France stood on the verge of the greatest disappointment that had ever befallen it in previous centuries. Also, the fate of the monarch was not so wonderful in the family field, here he was expected to lose his son, the Grand Dauphin, two grandchildren, the Duke and his grandson, the Duke of Bretagne and the Duchess of Burgundy. And all these losses occurred almost simultaneously.

Louis XIV died when he was 77 years old, in 1715. Despite all these achievements, Louis became so unpopular in France that only lackeys accompanied him at his funeral.

Was inherited by his grandson, King Louis XV (1715-1774) at the age of five. Philip II, or Duke of Orleans, was appointed regent until the king was 13 years old. This happened in February 1723. Louis XV died on May 10 in 1774 and was succeeded by Louis-Auguste, who became Louis XVI, who was the last king of France in the line of Bourbon monarchs. He married Marie Antoinette, daughter of the monarchs of the Holy Roman Empire.

Louis XVI became the heir to a French blue diamond, and gave it to his wife for the collection. Everyone knows the terrible story of the French revolution under King Louis XVI, he and his wife were beheaded, and their daughter was brutally abused. All this is attributed to the legendary Hope Diamond, which was owned by the family of kings.

During the French Revolution, some of the Crown Jewels were stolen. At that time, Louis XVI and his wife were in prison. On September 17, 1792, six men broke into the state treasury and stole jewelry. Gillo was a robber, it was he who took the blue diamond and then took it to London. It was there that he tried to sell the jewelry, but he failed. In 1796, the owner of the diamond became a debtor and gave it to Lankri. But despite this, they put Gillo in prison.

Modern history of the Nadezhda diamond

There is also a modern history of the Nadezhda diamond, which is very interesting. Because for 20 years after Gillo went to prison, no one knew anything about the diamond. It was only in September 1812, 20 years later, that it reappeared and acquired a completely different cut. The diamond now weighed 44.50 carats. The unnamed 44.50-carat blue diamond became famous 20 years after the stone was stolen, when the statute of limitations for the crime expired.

There is a legend according to which Wilhelm Fals- the man who cut the Nadezhda diamond was killed after the gem was stolen by his son Hendrik Fals. True, such an act did not bring anything good to his son - he still committed suicide after the stone passed into the hands of Francois Beaulieu. But Franusois was not spared the terrible fate of the curse of the Nadezhda Diamond - he sold it to Daniel Eliason, and suffered from poverty after that.

The diamond ended up in the hands of Henry Philip Hope in 1824, and adorned his collection of rare jewelry. It was at this time that the gem received the name “Hope”. Henry Hope's brother, whose name was Thomas, set the stone in a brooch that Tamas's fiancée Louise Beresford wore from time to time when going out.

Henry Hope died in December 1862, and after his death the stone passed to his wife Adele. In March 1884, Adele died, and the diamond passed to her grandson, the son of Henrietta - the daughter of Adele and Henry. Adele's grandson's name is Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton Hope. Henrietta's husband, Henry Pelham-Clinton, was the 6th Duke of Newcastle.

New owner of the gem Henry Francis had no legal right to sell it without court permission. He married his mistress, actress Mai Yoha, in 1894, and she wore the gemstone on official occasions. Lord Francis also fell victim to the famous curse, declaring bankruptcy in 1896. It was only in 1901 that the lord was allowed to sell this gem through the courts, around the same time his wife ran away from him with her lover, the son of the former mayor of New York. It was not until 1902 that Francis divorced her.

Mai Yohe who ran away with her lover also did not become particularly happy, and this was attributed to the Nadezhda gem. In 1902, she filed a complaint with the police that her beloved Putnam Strong had stolen a diamond and run away. But a miracle happened, and this couple made peace again, moreover, they officially got married. The couple separated again in 1910, and in 1920, when Mai Yohe was divorced for the third time, she convinced producer George Klein to make a TV series about the gem, called The Mystery of the Hope Diamond. The series had many fake characters and fiction, but despite this, it did not become popular.

London jeweler Adolph Weil bought a diamond for £29,000 and sold it to a US dealer, Simon Frankel, who suffered financial difficulties after purchasing the jewel. Frankel sold the gem to Jacques Colot, who in turn committed suicide. Then the stone was passed on to the Russian Prince Kanitovsky, who gave the jewel to actress Lawrence Lada. True, the prince himself later killed this actress, and was killed himself during the revolution. They both fell victim to the curse of this stone.

Already in 1904, Francis Hope married again to Olive Muriel Thompson in 1904. It was a real tragedy when his wife died in 1912. But the couple left three children.

Now the diamond belonged jeweler Simon Megarides, his family, unfortunately, also suffered a tragedy - they all died. Then the precious stone fell into the hands of the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876-1909), who became the sole ruler of Turkey, and remained so for 33 years. He bought the Nadezhda diamond for 450,000 American dollars, and gave it to one of his wives, Subaiya, she was his favorite, but despite this, she began to weave intrigues against the Sultan. Of course, the Sultan found out about this and executed her.

But the Sultan, like all rulers, was not eternal. And in 1909 he was overthrown, forcing him to flee. His jewelry was sold by those who came to power.

After The new government of Turkey sold the Nadezhda diamond, it was bought by Salomon Habib for $400,000 in 1908 in Paris. But after Khabib bought the diamond, he sold his entire collection of precious stones. The Hope Diamond was presented at auction on June 24 in 1909, and was sold to the Parisian jeweler Rosenau for $80,000, which was incredibly low even at that time. He lost $360,000 on the sale because Rosenau sold the gem to Pierre Cartier for 550,000 thousand francs.

In 1911, Cartier set the gemstone in a platinum necklace and sold it Evalyn Walsh McLean, daughter of Thomas Walsh, to whom he was a good friend and client. The price of the gem was $180,000.

Evalyn Walsh McLean wore a diamond necklace Nadezhda for all occasions, this includes frequent parties, communication with the cream of society, business tycoons, politicians, celebrities, as well as other persons around the world. She wore it at exhibitions in Paris. A little later, the luxurious life of Evalyn Walsh McLean became less wonderful. She pawned her jewelry; her son Vinson died in a car accident when he was 9 years old. Evaline's husband ran away with another woman, squandering his fortune and becoming a chronic alcoholic. He died in a sanatorium. The family's newspaper, The Washington Post, went bankrupt. In 1946, daughter Evaline died of an overdose of sleeping pills when she was 25 years old. All this, like much else, was attributed to the legendary Nadezhda diamond.

Hello, dear friends! You, of course, have heard about destructive hurricanes with female names? As American scientists have established, they are twice as dangerous as those that bear the names of the stronger sex. An affectionate female name involuntarily lulls one’s vigilance and one treats such a natural disaster lightly, without taking proper precautions. So the Hope Diamond, which received the name of its owner (“hope” in English means “hope”), brought many of its owners to a completely hopeless situation...

Treasure of Golconda - Hope Diamond

The starting point in the history of the legendary diamond is the Indian Golconda diamond mines. It was in the Kollur mine that a rare crystal of incredibly large size was mined. The color of the stone was blue-blue, and its purity was extraordinary. He was given a worthy place - to become the punishing eye of the statue of the Hindu god Rama.

As usual, there are dishonest people in any country: the diamond was stolen.

But the thieves knew that no one would buy such a famous stone in India, fearing the terrible revenge of an angry deity. The stolen diamond was sold to a foreigner traveling in India - Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a jewelry dealer. This “stone hunter” had a cherished dream - to become a nobleman, the title of which he received from Louis XIV in exchange for an Indian diamond. So the “Blue Tavernier” (under this name the “Eye of Rama” came to Europe) became the property of the Sun King.

The stone was incredibly large. It was cut into several parts, one of which went to distant Russia and adorned the finger of Maria Feodorovna, the wife of Emperor Paul I. Louis ordered the largest part to be cut in the shape of a heart and presented it to his favorite. The weight of the diamond at that time was 69 carats.

"Blue Frenchman": further fate

However, this gift to the king's beloved did not contribute to their romance. The relationship suddenly went wrong. Soon the Sun King, who loved ballroom dancing, injured his leg on a rusty nail during classes, blood poisoning began and the monarch died.

A terrible plague epidemic hit France, for which church ministers blamed the royal diamond, which carried the curse of the Indian priests. Tavernier, who delivered it, was torn to pieces by a pack of stray dogs. And the magnificent diamond, which became one of the treasures of the French crown, was called the “Blue Frenchman”. But some even then began to call him the “Blue Devil.”

By inheritance, the “blue diamond of the crown” passed to Louis XV, followed by Louis XVI. The latter gave a magnificent diamond to his wife Marie Antoinette, whom he adored. Out of friendly feelings, the beautiful queen gave a blue stone to Princess Lamballe to wear. Both of them ended their lives tragically. Marie Antoinette was publicly executed by guillotine by the Parisians who rebelled against the monarchy, Lamballe was brutally murdered. Louis XVI himself was executed.

The “blue” Frenchman disappeared in the whirlpool of the Great French Revolution in 1792. Most likely, it was stolen from the royal treasury.

Diamond Hope

When the kings are deposed, the bankers rule the roost. It is not surprising that in 1839 the next owner of the stone was the aristocratic banker, the British Henry Hope. From that moment on, the diamond began to be known throughout the world as the Hope Diamond.

True, the handsome diamond had noticeably “lost weight” by that time: its weight was already 45.52 carats. Most likely, after the theft, the former French Blue was recut in Amsterdam.

The new owner was extremely proud of the treasure and showed it off at every opportunity. As a result, Henry Hope died of an unknown illness, his son died at the hands of rival poisoners. The grandson, who suffered ruin and poverty, was also unlucky.

From the Hope family, the Nadezhda diamond comes to the East. It was bought by a wealthy Turkish collector, who soon died in a stormy sea. Next, the diamond turns out to be the property of the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II and flaunts on the chest of his beloved concubine, but again for a very short time. The beauty was killed, and the Sultan was deposed and died in prison.

In the further history of the stone, there is a certain Russian prince named Kandovitsky, who gave the jewel to the famous dancer Ledoux. Apparently, the flighty Parisian woman gave rise to jealousy and was killed by the prince. He survived her very briefly, falling at the hands of a killer hired by the dancer’s relatives.

Probably, the bohemian environment “disliked” the stone, and at the end of the 19th century it returned to the bosom of the Hope family, or rather, its direct heirs. We are talking about the Earls of Lincoln from America. However, Pelham-Clinton-Hope - that was the name of the last owner of the diamond from the Hope family - was soon ruined. His wife, without thinking twice, ran away from impending poverty to the son of the New York mayor. The unfortunate lord had only one thing left to do: sell the stone.

Then the owners of the ill-fated diamond changed one after another. The sinking of the Titanic is associated with it. It was carried by a married couple who at the time owned the Hope Diamond. Both spouses died in the plane crash.

The founder of the global brand Cartier, Pierre Cartier, played a major role in the further fate of the legendary diamond. It was he who opened the company's first store in New York on Fifth Avenue in 1909. Wealthy Americans very quickly fell in love with the Cartier brand, whose products had style and chic.

Pierre Cartier appreciated the potential of the Hope Diamond and purchased it for an unheard of high price - 550,000 francs. He decided that the diamond would look better in a necklace. The jeweler gave it a new cushion cut and emphasized the blue color of the stone with a frame of sixteen white diamonds.

Pierre Cartier was not only a talented jeweler, but also a pragmatic businessman. Having rightly considered that additional advertising would not hurt, he skillfully “stuffed information” about the mystical halo of the diamond. All that was left was to wait for the big fish to bite.

Evelyn McLean mascot

The new owner of the stone was Evelyn McLean, who adored diamonds. The blue stone of “royal blood” sank into her heart and she made it her talisman. The sinister history of the diamond both attracted and frightened Hope. Having made the purchase, she still blessed the necklace in the church.

But that didn't stop her from becoming obsessed with the diamond's magnetism. In numerous photographs, Evelyn is invariably captured with the Nadezhda diamond around her neck. Soon, things began to go wrong in the millionaire’s family. The husband died in a mental hospital, the young son was killed by a car, and the daughter committed suicide. The death of her daughter was the final blow for Evelyn herself.

The grandchildren, to whom the stone was bequeathed, hastened to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Moreover, they were in cramped circumstances. In 1949, the diamond ended up in the Harry Winston jewelry company.

He was not at all concerned about the diamond’s gloomy “track record,” calling it all nonsense and nonsense. The wealthy jeweler was passionate about organizing shows, the highlight of which was the exhibition of jewelry masterpieces. Inexplicably, possessing the fatal diamond did not harm Winston in any way.

Maybe because he showed the beauty of a unique stone to many people, and donated funds from exhibitions to charity. Or maybe because he didn’t boast about his acquisition. One way or another, after several years of successful exhibition activities, Harry Winston secretly, with a simple parcel, sent the legendary Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

From now on, the unique blue stone is no longer anyone's personal property. True, in the end, the diamond named Nadezhda still showed its bad character. A messenger delivering a package of stone to the Smithsonian Institution was killed by a truck. His house burned down, his wife and the messenger's dog died in the fire...

What is the fatal diamond? Now it is the main exhibit of the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Smithsonian Institution. Over its long life, its value has increased significantly and today is $100,000,000. Anyone who wishes can see his photo online.

Dear friends! Believing or not believing in the sinister story of the Hope Diamond is up to you. We are not given the opportunity to know what the fate of all the “victims” of the mysterious diamond would have been if they had never held it in their hands. But it is well known that greed, malice, envy and vanity are destructive in themselves, whether their owners wear diamonds or not. See you soon!

Team LyubiKamni

Diamond "Hope", or as it is also called “Hope”, is the most expensive and largest blue diamond in the world, which carries the secrets of several centuries, sometimes mystical and even bloody. The Nadezhda Diamond became notorious and is now considered a “cursed stone.” And despite all its exceptional properties, such as its pure blue color, cushion-shaped cut and current weight of 45.52 carats, the Hope Diamond is considered fatal, having the darkest history.

What kind of energy does it contain? Diamond "Hope", and what fate befell him, today “The Magic of Stone” will tell you.

Diamond "Hope": the story of three kings

According to historical facts, the diamond was mined in India in the 17th century. It was with Jean-Baptiste Tavernier that history began. A French dealer in precious stones, the son of a gambler, Tavernier was so keen on traveling that he traveled all over the world, soaking up foreign languages ​​and the culture of other peoples.

It is known that in 1642 he bought a diamond that weighed 112 carats. And the first king whose crown was decorated with this huge mineral was Louis XIV, or as he was also called the “Sun King”. Having been processed once, already under the king the stone was cut again, after which its weight was 67 carats, and it was triangular in shape.

According to the legend that Tavernier told the king, the diamond was the eye of the god Rama. But the narrator hid that he was talking about the left eye, which was called the punishing eye. And soon troubles began that, by chance or a special misfortune of the energy stone, people began to die.

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was torn to pieces by dogs, and King Louis XIV died of gangrene, which came after the king pierced his foot with a nail.
• The second king who owned the diamond was Louis XV. After some time, it was inlaid into the crown, for which it was called the “Blue Diamond of the French Crown.” The king, as a sign of gratitude, presented the “Hope” stone to the Marquise de Pompadour, who later died of pneumonia. The curse of the stone, oddly enough, did not touch the king.
• The third king was Louis XVI. With his wife, Marie Antoinette, they ruled the country. Already by 1789 the country was on the verge of bankruptcy. As a result of the revolution, both spouses were beheaded by the guillotine.

Diamond "Hope": the story of the family of Henry Philip Hope

It appears that the long wanderings of the huge blue mineral ended in 1839, when it was bought by a bank employee from England, Henry Hope. He decided to call his acquisition “Blue Hope”.

He died from a strange, little-studied disease at that time, his son was poisoned, and his grandson went broke.

The Hope Diamond was inherited by the lord's nephew, Francis Hope. They say that a young man once lost everything he had at cards, he decided to pay off with his mineral, but the incredibly beautiful gem did not want to leave its owners, and as a result of the lawsuits it remained with Francis. It is known that after being wounded in the leg, it was amputated after a while.

Hope Diamond: Evelyn Walsh McLean Stone

This lady was sure that everything that brought damage and the evil eye to people brought fun and success to her. Having challenged herself and society, she acquired the “Hope” diamond, which became her talisman. Extravagant, eccentric, shocking and shocking, she showed the stone to her friends during weddings, carried it to hospitals with soldiers, to races and all kinds of events.

It is unlikely that anyone will now say for sure whether the diamond was the cause of the death of her son, who died under the wheels of a car, and her daughter, who committed suicide at the age of 25, or whether it was just a coincidence. By the way, as a result of the car accident in which her brother died, Evelyn’s legs were also damaged, which even became an inch shorter.

The husband left Evelyn, leaving for someone else, after which he drank himself to death, ended up in a psychiatric hospital, and died. Evelyn McLean died of pneumonia when she was sixty-one years old. It’s hard to say for sure whether the Nadezhla diamond is guilty of this or not, but the fact remains that the stone has the reputation of being cursed

The Hope Diamond: Harry Winston and Modern Times

Harry Winston, a diamond dealer, bought the “Hope” diamond and showed it in every possible way at exhibitions and shows, and only nine years later, in 1958, he decided to donate the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

It is interesting that the university decided to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Hope Diamond in a special way, by removing the stone from the setting of an old Cartier pendant, and until 2010 it was presented to the general public in exactly this form.

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How much does turquoise cost? What is the price of the stone?

Natural turquoise has long been valued for its beauty and the interesting symbolism associated with this stone. But, despite the many legends and interesting facts that attract attention to the gem, the question is, how much does turquoise cost?, depends mainly on its physical properties and purity.

Turquoise is traditionally considered one of the most beautiful stones - a mineral of a blue, greenish or grayish hue, which is a phosphate of aluminum and copper. Despite the fact that this stone is semi-precious, it has always had a high price, since it is found in nature in limited quantities; in addition, foreign impurities and inclusions often occupy a significant place in turquoise crystals.

The magical properties of unakite stone

Among the many famous gemstones that are popular among ordinary buyers and jewelers, there are stones that look and wear just as well, and sometimes even better. But, in the modern world, people are less and less looking for something more suitable for them, and are turning to sensational and very expensive gems, which are often unable to help them. Among the list of outsiders was the beautiful unakite stone.

The magical properties of unakite stone,- we’ll tell you today

Cat's Eye: Zodiac Stone

Handsome and strong cat's eye stone is able to help its owner in various situations, but it is important that it is energetically compatible with its owner. Harmony with the zodiacal affiliation of the owner of this mineral is also important.

Read about what properties the cat's eye is strong in, and what zodiac sign it is the stone of, in this article.

Who is jasper stone suitable for?

Jasper is a beautiful and energetically powerful stone that has a strong healing and magical effect. But not everyone Jasper stone is suitable, since it is necessary to take into account the character traits, sphere of activity and belonging to a specific zodiac sign of its owner.

This article is about who is jasper stone suitable for?.

How much does an emerald cost?

Emerald is one of the most beautiful precious stones, in addition, it is very expensive. How much an emerald costs largely depends on the quality and purity of the stone, its size and a number of other factors, which are discussed in more detail in this article.

Emerald, which is one of the varieties of corundum, is the hardest stone after diamond, which is explained by the peculiarities of its rigid crystal structure.

How much does an emerald cost?– we are considering today

Artem's Stone

People named Artem are often active people in their movements, but at the same time calm and reasonable. They know how to objectively assess a situation and take the right actions. The name Artem is of Greek origin and means “healthy.” Artems are diplomatic and independent, they are distinguished by their stable psyche and their independent views and behavior.

What is Artyom's stone?

Magical properties of blue agate

Agates are distinguished by their elegant banding, subtle color transitions and rich color. Without exaggeration, these gems are considered more beautiful than other chalcedony. The stone is famous for its pattern and color. Agates are formed in the voids of volcanic rocks.

Iron gives agate colors such as yellow, red, orange, brown and even black, but the green color appears due to chlorides.

And today we will tell about the magical properties of blue agate.

Royal agate: properties of the stone

Agate has attracted the attention of various magicians and alchemists since ancient times. After all, even in past times, our ancestors believed that the gem symbolized health, longevity and prosperity. Agate is a type of fine-fibered chalcedony. In turn, it also has many subspecies - these are bastion, and ocular, and disk, and star-shaped and many others. But we want to talk about royal agate and its properties. As it turned out in the search for materials, royal agate is not exactly agate, but obsidian, which has a spotted color.

Royal agate: properties of the stone, - more about this today.

Who is moonstone suitable for?

Moonstone is considered a symbol of the moon, this is clear to everyone. But this stone is also called adularia. The mineral is distinguished by its fragility, so you need to handle it very carefully as the slightest sudden movement can cause damage. The largest deposit of moonstone is in Sri Lanka, but Australia, Brazil, and India are also rich in the gem. The surface of the mineral is white-blue in color and creates a shimmering effect, as if the stone is playing with a bluish color.

Who is moonstone suitable for? We are talking about this today.

Stone named after (Galya) Galina

For many people it is very important to have their own personal talisman stone. But in many cases, people choose their own amulet, without the help of a professional. But in the end, it turns out that either the stone “doesn’t work” or “something went wrong.” In this article we will help you figure out which stones are suitable for girls and women with the beautiful name Galina.

The name Galina comes from Greece. If you translate it literally, you get the phrase “sea surface.” And in general, the very word Galina already evokes peace and quiet. And if you believe the sources, then this is exactly what the sea nymph was named.

So, the stone is named after Galina, we’ll tell you today.