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The Hope Diamond is a famous and iconic diamond that was mounted in a necklace and its size, weight, and color made it one of the most sought-after stones in the world. It is worth $350 million US Dollars, and considered as the most expensive gemstone in the world.
The Hope Diamond is a property of the Smithsonian Institution and open for public display four times per year at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. There are famous legends surround the diamond’s history which include stories of murder and curses.
How Many Carats is the Hope Diamond?
The hope diamond weighs 45.52 carats (9.104 g or 0.3211 oz) and has been valued at $350 million US dollars because of its rarity and historical significance. It is one of the ten largest cut diamonds ever found.
Origin of the Hope Diamond
The diamond’s origins are unknown for sure, but it was probably mined in India and sold to a jeweler in 1668 by an Indian king who was deeply impoverished at the time.
After being mined in India, the Hope Diamond was shipped to France, then finally to America, where it has remained ever since. It was originally cut to suit European tastes, but today it’s cut for modern tastes with a brilliant round shape. The Hope Diamond was once the property of French King Louis XIV and is currently the property of the Smithsonian Institution. Its origins date back to 1668, when it was believed to have been cut from a larger diamond and stolen by a Dutch traveler. It would make its way through many hands until it was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958 by gem merchant Harry Winston.
Properties of the Hope Diamond
It has a large blue-white diamond as its centerpiece, surrounded by 16 other blue-white diamonds. The largest blue-white diamond in the necklace weighs about 10 carats and is called “The First Blue.”
What is particularly remarkable about this stone is that it is made of carbon and has an internal structure that is not fully understood. A cross section of the stone reveals a hollow interior with a trilobate core that has a unique structure. This trilobate core is the oldest known example of a trilobate structure.
The discovery of the trilobate stone is significant for the geologists of the region, because it marks the first time the trilobate structure has been found in the region. The trilobate stone has been dated as being 300 million years old.
The trilobate structure was named after the appearance of the stone, which has three lobes. Researchers believe the lobed structure is a result of the way the stone was shaped after it was formed.
The Hope Diamond’s History
It was discovered by French miner Henry Louis Nicholas St. Maurice in 1741 and was originally called La poupee du hope or ‘the doll of hope’. After being purchased from the French East India Company for an amount of £40,000 by a London merchant named Henry Philip Hope in 1839 it became known as the Hope Diamond. Hope sold the diamond to the United States in 1843.
The diamond was brought to America by Charles Frederick Wiesman, a New York jeweler, who acquired it under the condition that he could not resell it for at least two years. The diamond was purchased by New York banker Seth Low in 1849. He gave it to his nephew, Franklin B. Gowen, in exchange for his stock in the Union Safe Deposit and Trust Company.
Interesting Facts about the Hope Diamond
- The diamond is worth at $350 million dollars.
- It now resides at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as a center piece to their exhibit on jewels.
- It was originally thought to be a black pearl, but when it was found to be so large and clearly not a pearl, it was realized that it must be a diamond.
- It is speculated by many jewelers and historians that the diamond’s size could only have been achieved by the use of iron tools rather than traditional diamond cutting tools.
- Surprisingly, not even its owners have been able to know for sure how big it was originally because it has been cut so many times and because it has lost some weight as a result.
What are the myths behind the Hope Diamond?
The Hope Diamond is one of the most famous for a lot of myths around it’s history. It has been told for centuries that it may bring bad luck to any person who owns it. It has been said that since it was created for the Mogul’s wives, they were locked inside a dungeon for eternity just to keep it safe.
A French gem dealer who hoped to sell it during the French revolution, but he was executed before he could do so.
In the 1800s, a French jeweler named Laurent de Bellefonte was caught stealing the Hope Diamond. He was convicted of the crime and sentenced to be hung, but he managed to escape the gallows by jumping off the scaffold.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Hope Diamond is the most valuable diamond in the world, not because it is the largest or most beautiful, but because it has a lot of history behind it.