A Cursed Diamond!

Is there any such thing as a cursed diamond! You may be suprised, learn more about some of the most famous diamonds and their history below.

The Hope Diamond

One of the most famous, the ‘Hope Diamond’ at 45.52 carats, is not the largest diamond in the world, however, it is the largest known deep blue diamond.

Originally believed to  have been mined in India in the 16th century from the Kollur Mine though there is no record who owned it. The stone eventually found its way to the US in 1902.

Perhaps the major reason for the diamonds fame is its three-century history of mystery and intrigue, that includes kings, the French revolution, a theft, and other stories of tragedy befalling previous owners, leading some to believe this is a cursed diamond.

An examination by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in 1988 described the stone itself as a “fancy dark grayish-blue”, weighing 45.52 carats (9.104g). This color description was revised in 1996 to “fancy deep grayish-blue”. The stone is described as an antique Cushion Cut and originates from India.

The Hope Diamond above in its present case at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History United States National Museum of Natural History Of course, there are other famous diamonds, but some personal favorites include:

The Cullinan Diamond

This diamond is actually cut into 105 diamonds of which the Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, 530.2 carats (106.04g), and Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, 317.4 carats (63.48 g) are both part of the British Crown Jewels.  

The pictures below show the original diamond rough, and what are now the Cullinan Nine Major stones – the largest of which is the Great Star of Africa and part of the British Crown Jewels.

The Koh-i-noor

Is a 105 carat (21.6 g) white stone, which was originally presented to Queen Victoria during the British Raj, is now in the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother shown below. 

This diamond is also believed to have come from the Kollur Mine and during its lifetime has been a coveted spoil of war among Indian dynasties before coming onto the possession of the East India Company before being presented to Queen Victoria on 3 July, 1850 at Buckingham Palace. 

The Koh-i-noor has been at the center of ownership disputes between India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan who have all demanded its return from the UK over the years, though this is not a cursed diamond.

The Tiffany Yellow Diamond

This beautiful stone was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats (25.708 g) with 90 facets which is 32 more than a traditional round brilliant, this was done in order to maximize its brilliance.  

This stone which has now been reset was also worn by Audrey Hepburn in the1961 publicity photographs for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  The stone was mined at the Kimberley Mine in South Africa in 8178.

It is now on display at Tiffany’s New York store, the picture below is showing the stone now known as Tiffany Yellow Diamond in “Bird on a Rock”.

References Hope Diamond originally came from French crown Associated Press The National Gem Collection/Jeffery E Post, 1997 Smithsonian Institution.

Thompson, Ryan (2004). “The Tiffany Yellow”, Famous Diamonds.

Pictures taken from Wikipedia under the Creative CommonsAttribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.

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