How America Came to Possess the Hope Diamond

Under the security of the 1598 Edict of Nantes, the Tavernier family remained in France. The Tavernier family were Huguenots, a group of French Protestants who had endured persecution by the French Catholics. The Edict had mandated the Catholics and Protestants coexist peaceably.
Seven years later, in 1605, Jean Baptiste Tavernier was born and he grew up to become one of the era’s great merchants and travelers, venturing even as a young boy throughout Europe. In 1631, he launched his first voyage to the East. Over the next 36 years, he made five such extensive voyages, visiting far-off places like modern-day Afghanistan, Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Malta, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Turkey.
In 1666, Tavernier was in India, known for its diamond mines. At the time the imperial palace of Jahangir at Agra held an estimated 135,000 or more carats of uncut diamonds. Tavernier purchased an uncut diamond in Golconda, India, which he described as a gem of “beautiful violet.” The weight of this diamond was 112 3/16 carats.
When Tavernier returned to France in 1668, he sold a wealth of diamonds to King Louis XIV, among the diamonds was one with the violet sparkle. Along with payment, Tavernier was ennobled with an estate in Aubonne. Five years later, the king sent the violet jewel to the court jeweler, Sieur Pitau. Pitau recut the diamond down to 67 1/8 carats. The diamond, set in gold and held by ribbon, was renamed “Blue Diamond of the Crown,” also known as “French Blue.” It became part of the king’s accessories during royal ceremonies.
In 1749, Louis XV, great-grandson of Louis XIV, reset the diamond as the centerpiece of the emblem for the Order of the Golden Fleece, one of the most prestigious chivalric European orders of the era. Louis XV reigned until his death in 1774, giving way to his grandson Louis XVI.
This royal bloodline of the Bourbon Monarchy lasted until 1792. After more than 100 years of Protestant persecution, King Louis XVI signed the Edict of Toleration in 1787, which gave non-Catholics full civil rights. But the die had been cast, and revolution was in the air.
The diamond was exquisite, but was it the actual “French Blue”? The gem had been cut further to 45 1/2 carats, now about 40 percent of its original size. Nonetheless, Eliason’s diamond was the talk of London for years. Commentators called it “matchless,” “superlatively fine,” “a nearly perfect blue,” and “superior to any other coloured diamond known.”
The diamond remained in the Hope family for more than six decades. It was on display at the 1851 Great London Exhibition. In 1858, Charles Barbot, the French gemologist, was the first to publish suspicions that the Hope Diamond was actually the “the blue diamond of France” because of “its rare perfection.”
Toward the end of the 19th century, the diamond landed in the imprudent hands of Thomas Hope’s grandson, Lord Henry Francis Hope, the Duke of Newcastle. Born to vast wealth, the 21-year-old spent frivolously. His expenditures and debt only increased when he married May Yohé, an actress from New York City. The marriage was rather short-lived, lasting from 1894 to 1902. To help pay off debts, Lord Hope sold portions of the family’s art collection, and finally the Hope Diamond.
Shortly thereafter, Habib himself ran into financial trouble and was forced to sell the diamond. The financial troubles that seemed to follow the buyers caused commentators to speculate a curse came with the diamond. The Washington Post wrote a piece entitled “Hope Diamond Has Brought Trouble to All Who Have Owned It.” The speculation was hyperbolic, but considering the fall of the French monarchy, the supposed debt crisis of the English king, Lord Hope, the Frankels, and Habib, perhaps the theory wasn’t unfounded.
Habib brought the diamond back to its place of origin—the 69-carat version. The diamond was scheduled for auction in Paris in 1909, but it was pulled just before auction and sold to C.H. Rosenau, a diamond merchant. Rosenau then sold it to one of the most famous jewelers in the world: Pierre Cartier.
Cartier had found his prospect. Ned McLean purchased the Hope Diamond for $180,000 in 1911. While he was at it, he also purchased the 94-carat Star of the East diamond. To stave off any possible curse, Evalyn took the diamond to church to have it blessed. It remained with her until her death in 1947.
The same year of Evalyn’s death, Harry Winston was dubbed “King of Diamonds.” The New York jeweler and gemologist had an eye for gems from an early age, and his portfolio of jewels was practically unmatched. In 1949, his moniker never rang truer, as he purchased Evalyn’s collection. Over the next decade, Winston shared his gems with the world as part of “The Court of Jewels” exhibitions.
“I want the public to know more about precious gems,” he explained. “With so much expensive junk jewelry around these days, people forget that a good diamond, ruby, or emerald, however small, is a possession to be prized for generations”
Winston fulfilled his desire in a most exceptional manner. It was during this week in history, on Nov. 10, 1958, that Harry Winston became the last private owner of the Hope Diamond; he donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. The Hope Diamond, with its glorious and mysterious history, immediately became the museum’s premier attraction. It remains one of the main attractions inside the National Museum of Natural History’s Harry Winston Gallery.