Considered one of the jewelry the most expensive and famous in the world, the current value of the Hope diamond is estimated at $350 million.

THE diamond blue Hope takes its name from its first owner, Henry Philip Hope, an Anglo-Dutch banker. It is part of this category of stones preciouss extremely rare are type IIb diamonds, which contain no nitrogen and contain 0.1% boron. This stone is an intense blue with shades of gray, cut into an oval shape. Its weight is 45.52 carats. It is considered the largest and most expensive blue diamond in the world. The Hope Diamond inspired the creation of the "Heart of the Ocean", a magnificent jewel that appears in the film Titanic.

The origins of the Hope diamond

The Hope Diamond, this famous blue diamond, is said to have been cut from the Diamond of France, another blue diamond from the French Crown. The latter was purchased by Louis Hope who renamed it “Hope”.

The Hope Diamond has been owned by several owners and has traveled the world. Investigations have revealed that the Hope diamond is believed to have come from a mine located in the north of what is now Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India. Ultimately, it would be the Bleu de France recut after its flight. It was the discovery, in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Paris, of an 18th century lead casting which allowed François Farges, specialist in mineralogy and professor at the Museum, to trace the origin and history of this diamond.

Famous for its reputation as a cursed jewel

The Hope diamond is known to be “cursed”, because it is said to have brought bad luck to its owners. According to the story, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was devoured by wild dogs in Constantinople after experiencing financial ruin. King Louis XVI was guillotined in 1793 in Paris on the Place de la Révolution. Rock Cartier, son of the famous jeweler Cartier, owned the diamond from 1910 to 1911 before selling it to Evalyn Walsh McLean, an American mining heiress and socialite. She kept it until 1947 and suffered several tragedies, including the death of those close to her and the bankruptcy of her family newspaper. Harry Winston, an American jeweler, acquired the diamond in 1949 and later donated it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington in 1958. 

The Hope Diamond is now on display at the United States National Museum of Natural History in Washington. It can be seen in an exclusive room reserved for visitors and is said to be the second most visited art object in a museum in the world, with more than six million visitors per year.