From the moment the first gem crystal was discovered glinting in a riverbed, or a pearl was scooped out of an oyster intended for dinner, precious gems have been the object of man’s (and woman’s) desire and myth. The Romans thought diamonds repelled poison, while the medieval English thought them poisonous. Amethysts were believed to ward off drunkenness, and pearls to bring tears to your lover.
History has provided us with many intriguing stories of famous gems. But none so legendary—and at times, unlucky—as these five.
The Hope Diamond
Photo source: Si.edu/Encyclopedia
Rumored to have been stolen from the eye of an Indian idol, the Hope Diamond—a rare blue diamond weighing 44.52 carats—was sold to Louis XIV of France in 1668. Louis had the large blue diamond cut to 67 carats and it became part of the French crown jewels. (You wore it well, Marie Antoinette.)
It disappeared for about twenty years after being stolen during the revolution. It surfaced, re-cut, in London during the Napoleonic wars, and was eventually sold to British banker Henry Hope. The diamond took the Hope name and descended through several generations of the Hope family, until gambling debts forced its sale in 1901.
French jeweler Cartier acquired the diamond and sold it to the American heiress, Evalyn Walsh McLean, in 1911. Evalyn thought the diamond brought her good luck and wore it until her death. During that time a son died in a car crash, her husband became insane and was institutionalized, and a young daughter committed suicide. I wonder what she considered bad luck?
At her death, the Hope diamond was sold to satisfy Evalyn’s debts. Harry Winston bought the stone in 1949 and exhibited it worldwide for almost ten years. Winston donated the gem to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, where it is still on display, not having brought disaster to the nation … unless you count our current administration.
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond
Photo source: Royal.gov.uk
Legend has it that the Koh-i-Noor (“Mountain of Light”) was stolen from the god Krishna while he slept. It appears in Mogul chronicles as part of captured treasure in 1304 and remained with the Mogul emperors until 1739, when Delhi was sacked by the Persians. The Mogul emperor tried to hide the diamond by concealing it in his turban, but a member of his harem tipped off the Persian Nadir Shah, who ended up with both the turban and the diamond. When Nadir unwrapped the turban, he exclaimed, “Koh-i-Noor,” thus giving the diamond its current name. History does not record the fate of the turban … or the harem tattler.
The Koh-i-Noor remained with the Persian kings, despite many bloody attempts to steal it. In 1849, it was handed over to the British East India Company as part of the settlement imposed on the Punjab after the Sikh wars.
When the stone reached Queen Victoria, it had the reputation of bringing bad luck to its male owners but, luckily for her, not to females. Victoria had it cut from 186 carats to its current 109 carats and set in a tiara. Since 1911, the stone has been placed in coronation crowns of the Queen Consorts, thus averting any possible bad luck.
Controversy continues to follow the diamond. Pakistan, India, Iran, and the Taliban have all requested the return of the diamond but have been denied, politely. The Koh-i-Noor remains on display in the Tower of London with the rest of the Crown Jewels, awaiting Camilla’s big day.
