There is a superstition that certain items bring bad luck. These unfounded beliefs sometimes turn out to be so interesting that one can’t help but think, what if they were true? The blue diamond, also known as the hope diamond, has such a sinister story. Let’s take a closer look at the blue diamond story, or rather, its curse.
Countless superstitions, such as seeing a black cat, breaking a mirror, walking under the stairs, cutting nails at night brings bad luck, are actually pagan beliefs, and strangely enough, there are still believers today. Of course, this has nothing to do with any scientific fact, but blue diamond also known as hope diamond it has such a story that one cannot help but suspect.
Legend has it that the hope diamond curse emerged hundreds of years ago with a theft. Known by many different names since then, the blue diamond destroyed the kings, bankrupted the rich, and even fell into the hands of the Ottoman sultan, Sultan Abdulhamid, and brought bad luck to him. Today it is stored in a museum without harming anyone. Hope diamond, let’s take a closer look at the blue diamond story And let’s see what this damn thing has done.
The blue diamond was formed millions of years ago and remained a mystery until it fell into the hands of a thief:
The blue diamond, also known as the Hope diamond, is estimated to have formed 1.1 billion years ago. Not just carbon atoms like other diamonds, It has a unique blue color because it is composed of some boron atoms. It is estimated that its original weight before slaughter was more than 112 carats, or 22 grams.
We encounter the first records of the blue diamond in the diaries of a traveling merchant, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. According to the records, Tavernier met this diamond during his trip to India in 1666. It is written in the records that this diamond, which is a large uncut stone and whose color is known as Tavernier blue, was sold to Louis XIV, the king of France, in 1669, along with other precious stones found by the traveler.
Let’s get to the legendary part. No details are known about how Tavernier found this diamond. But experts They consider it certain that he obtained this stone through theft. Some who even take the matter further say that Tavernier stole this diamond from the sight of a Buddha statue in a Buddhist temple in India. Stealing Buddha’s eye ha, congratulations, you have earned eternal bad luck.
The king of France used the blue diamond as a special ceremonial necklace:
King of France XIV, known for his love of luxury and glamor. Louis ordered the palace jeweler to make a necklace from this stone. The necklace made was used by the king in special ceremonies. When we come to 1749, the owner of the throne and the diamond XVI. It had been Louis. The king gifted this diamond to his wife, Marie Antoinette. Here’s where things start.
As we all know, the French Revolution took place in 1789 and the kingdom was overthrown. The last owners of the blue diamond, XIV. Louis in 1792 and his wife, Marie Antoinette, in 1793. they were executed by guillotine. There was no news for a long time about the blue diamond, which was among the looted kingdom’s goods. Until it came out in England.
The blue diamond comes to confuse England:
According to the records, the blue diamond stolen from the French court appears in the collection of London diamond merchant Daniel Eliason in 1812. According to a rumor, the blue diamond was brought to England after being stolen and firstly the king of the period IV. Sold to George. The king gifted this diamond to his mistress, Elizabeth Conyngham. and he sold the diamond to someone else.
In the 1830s, the blue diamond was purchased by a banker originally from Thomas Hope. Blue diamond, in 1839 took its place in the jewelery catalog of the bank and became known as hope diamond. Thomas’ brother, Henry Philip Hope, died mysteriously that same year. By 1860, the Hope family was completely bankrupt.
The blue diamond brought the end of the Ottoman Empire:
After the collapse of the Hope family, the blue diamond disappeared again. Blue diamond according to records from 1908 It was sold to Selim Habib, a wealthy diamond collector. Not so much a year later, when Habib went bankrupt, the blue diamond was sold to Sultan Abdulhamid, the Ottoman sultan of the time. We already know what happened to Sultan Abdulhamid and the Ottoman Empire.
The last stop of the blue diamond was the USA:
In 1910, the blue diamond was bought by Pierre Cartier, one of the richest names of the time, and given to his wife, Walsh McLean. Not surprisingly, of course, Pierre Cartier went bankrupt. From that day on, his wife spread rumors everywhere that they had lost the diamond. However, the reason for this is said to be to prevent debtors from seizing the diamond.
In 1949, it is known that the blue diamond was purchased by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston. Harry Winston didn’t seem very impressed by the curse. He has proudly displayed the blue diamond in special shows and television shows over the years. In 1978, he died of a heart attack, not at all mysterious.
Realizing the importance of the blue diamond during the demonstrations, mineralogist George Switzer persuaded Harry Winston to use the diamond. It was donated to the National Museum of Natural History. The blue diamond is still exhibited in this museum today.
Is the blue diamond curse real? Let’s look at the real thing now:
Let’s put it this way, we’ve only told you about the most famous events. published in 1911 The New York Times article He mentioned that dozens of different people had blue diamonds and each of them died tragically. However, neither this article nor the others have provided a source in any way.
As a matter of fact, all the myths about the blue diamond are just his. They are stories that are put forward to increase their value. It is known that these legends were put forward especially by Pierre Cartier and his wife. Because they had spent too much money to buy the blue diamond, and creating such a myth about the diamond would have at least doubled its price. So the legend of the blue diamond curse is just a legend.
Said to cause the death of anyone who has owned it for hundreds of years We talked about the blue diamond curse story and its historical journey. Of course, it is quite enjoyable to read such stories, but let’s admit that the age of believing in superstitions has passed. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.