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Greendale Diamonds Supply South Africa |
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Hope Diamond
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, which was most likely
from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, was somewhat triangular in
shape and crudely cut. Its color was described by Tavernier as a
"beautiful violet."
Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1668 with 14
other large diamonds and several smaller ones. In 1673 the stone was
recut by Sieur Pitau, the court jeweler, resulting in a 67 1/8-carat
stone. In the royal inventories, its color was described as an intense
steely-blue and the stone 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.
King Louis XV, in 1749, had the stone reset by court jeweler Andre
Jacquemin, in a piece of ceremonial jewelry for the Order of the Golden
Fleece (Toison D'Or). 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. Strong evidence
indicates that the stone was the recut French Blue and the same stone
known today as the HopeDiamond. 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 first 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. Unfortunately, the catalog
does not reveal where or from whom Hope acquired the diamond or how much
he paid for it.
Following the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839, and after much
litigation, the diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and
ultimately to the nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord
Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his
sisters to sell the stone to help pay off his debts. It was sold to a
London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New
York City, who retained the stone in New York until they, in turn,
needed cash. The diamond was next sold to Selim Habib who put it up for
auction in Paris in 1909. It did not sell at the auction but was sold
soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that same
year.
In 1910 the Hope diamond was shown to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of
Washington D.C., at Cartier's in Paris, but she did not like the
setting. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. where he
left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful.
The sale was made in 1911 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. Mrs. McLean's
flamboyant ownership of the stone lasted until her death in 1947.
Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs. McLean's entire
jewelry collection, including the Hope diamond, from her estate in 1949.
This collection also included the 94.8-carat Star of the East diamond,
the 15-carat Star of the South diamond, a 9-carat green diamond, and a
31-carat diamond which is now called the McLean diamond.
For the next 10 years the Hope diamond was shown at many exhibits and
charitable events world wide by Harry Winston Inc., including as the
central attraction of their Court of Jewels exhibition. On November 10,
1958, they donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, and
almost immediately the great blue stone became its premier attraction.
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, as part of an exhibit entitled Ten Centuries of French Jewelry.
In 1965 the Hope diamond traveled to South Africa where it was exhibited
at the Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg. In 1984 the diamond was lent to
Harry Winston Inc., in New York, as part of the firm's 50th anniversary
celebration. In 1996 the Hope diamond was again sent to Harry Winston
Inc., in New York, this time for cleaning and some minor restoration
work.
The weight of the Hope diamond for many years was reported to be 44.5
carats. In 1974 it was removed from its setting and found actually to
weigh 45.52 carats. It is classified as a type IIb diamond, which are
semiconductive and usually phosphoresce. The Hope diamond phosphoresces
a strong red color, which will last for several seconds after exposure
to short wave ultra-violet light. 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. A bail is soldered to the pendant where
Mrs. McLean would often attach other diamonds including the McLean
diamond and the Star of the East. The necklace chain contains 45 white
diamonds.
HOPE DIAMOND DATA
| WEIGHT: |
45.52 carats
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| DIMENSIONS: |
Length 25.60 mm
Width 21.78 mm
Depth 12.00 mm
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| CUT: |
Cushion antique brilliant with
a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion. |
| CLARITY: |
VS1. Whitish graining is
present. |
| COLOR: |
Fancy dark grayish-blue
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Contact Us Email:
greendiam@tiscali.co.za
 
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Diamond Info |
| There
have always been things which looked like diamonds, but were not
diamond. I have already stated that in early times other stones
were confused with diamond. |
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