The Hope Diamond - Diamonds Facts & Trivia @ DiamondSource.in

The history of the stone which was eventually named the Hope diamond began when the French merchant traveller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond was most likely from the Kolar mine in Golconda, central India. Tavernier described its colour as a "beautiful violet."

Tavernier sold the diamond in 1668 to King Louis XIV of France. In 1673 the stone was recut by Sieur Pitau, the court jeweler, resulting in a 67 1/8-carat stone. The stone soon became known as the "Blue Diamond of the Crown," or the "French Blue." It was set in gold and suspended on a neck ribbon which the king wore on ceremonial occasions.

In 1791, after an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to flee France, the jewels of the French Royal Treasury were turned over to the government. During a week-long looting of the crown jewels in September of 1792, the French Blue diamond was stolen.

In 1812 a deep blue diamond described by John Francillion as weighing 177 grains (4 grains = 1 carat) was documented as being in the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. There is some evidence that suggests that the stone was the recut French Blue. The stone is today known as the Hope Diamond. Several references suggest that it was acquired by King George IV of England. At his death, in 1830, the king's debts were so enormous that the blue diamond was likely sold through private channels.

The reference to the diamond's next owner is found in the 1839 entry of the gem collection catalog of the well-known Henry Philip Hope, the man from whom the diamond takes its name. It is not known how Hope acquired the diamond.

Following the death of Hope in 1839, the diamond passed to his nephew and ultimately to the nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord Francis Hope sold the stone to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City. The diamond was next sold to Selim Habib and was sold after some time to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier.

The Hope diamond was sold to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington D.C., by Cartier in 1911. The sale was made with the diamond mounted as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white diamonds. Sometime later it became the pendant on a diamond necklace as we know it today.

Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs. McLean's entire jewelry collection after her death, including the Hope diamond, from her estate in 1949.

For the next 10 years the Hope diamond was shown at many exhibits and charitable events world wide by Harry Winston Inc.. In 1958, they donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.

The Hope diamond has left the Smithsonian only four times since it was donated. In 1962 it was exhibited for a month at the Louvre in Paris, France. In 1965 the Hope diamond was exhibited at the Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg. In 1984 the diamond was lent to Harry Winston Inc. as part of the firm's 50th anniversary celebration. In 1996 the Hope diamond was again sent to Harry Winston Inc., this time for cleaning and minor restoration.

The weight of the Hope diamond for many years was reported to be 44.5 carats, but in 1974 it was removed from its setting and found actually to weigh 45.52 carats. It is a type IIb diamond. These are semiconductive and usually phosphoresce. The Hope diamond phosphoresces a strong red color. The diamond's blue coloration is attributed to trace amounts of boron in the stone.

In the pendant surrounding the Hope diamond are 16 white diamonds, both pear-shapes and cushion cuts.

In December of 1988, a team from the Gemological Institute of America observed that the gem shows evidence of wear, has a remarkably strong phosphorescence, and that its clarity is slightly affected by a whitish graining which is common to blue diamonds. A further examination by another gemologist using a sensitive colorimeter revealed that there is a very slight violet component to the deep blue color.

DiamondSource.in provides directory and web links resources for B2C & B2B sourcing, e-commerce, buying and selling of cut and polished diamonds, loose diamonds and diamond jewellery. It is intended to be useful for research and information as well as for diamond buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers. It will make an effort to provide diamond & polished diamond related info and link on producers and distributors – both wholesale and retail - details on companies & businesses, wholesalers & retailers, online, ecommerce & esourcing trade & diamond market resources, data, business and diamond market statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, company, manufacturer, trader, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, supplier, exporter, importer and producer.

Fun! Did you know that some of the frequent typos for the term diamond are: diamonf, diamonfs, diamons, diamong, diamongs, siamonds, fiamonds, xiamonds

DiamondSource.in – Home of Diamonds Online