The Legend of the Hope Diamond

1. One of the world's most famous gems is the Hope Diamond, which is a 44.5 carat dark blue jewel. It is famous partly because of its enormous size and unusual color, but legends about its previous owners and its eerie glow make it even more intriguing.
2. A French traveller named Jean Baptiste Tavernier purchased the stone, which was then 112 carats, while on a trip to India. The king had the diamond cut twice to enhance its brilliance, which is why the stone is now much smaller than the 112-carat original. The diamond was stole from the king sometime during the French Revolution, and it didn't turn up again until 1830, when a man named Henry Phillip Hope bought it in London. Bad luck seemed to strike the wealthy Hope family after they acquired the diamond, and each member of the family died penniless, even after they sold the diamond to pay off debts.
3. A later owner of the stone, Ned Mclean, also experienced bad luck. He and his wife, Evalyn McLean, who had an extensive diamond collection, lost their two children in tragic accidents after purchasing the blue stone.
4. A jeweler named Harry Winston purchased Evalyn's diamond collection and donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it is currently on display.
5. Scientists at the Smithsonian have discovered that the Hope Diamond glows a strange orange-red color for a few moments after being exposed to an ultraviolet light. Scientists are not sure what makes the Hope phosphoresce, but those who believe in superstitions say the red glowing is symbolic of all the blood shed during the French Revolution and of the aura of bad luck that seems to follow the rare and beautiful stone.

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