The Curse of the Hope Diamond
Does this famous jewel bring disaster to all who touch it?
Art by Randy Pollak; Shutterstock.com (Smoke, Background)
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In 1642, a French jeweler named Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was traveling the world looking for rare gemstones. In a temple in India, he spotted one. It was a large blue diamond on the forehead of a statue. The gem was incredibly beautiful.
Tavernier pried the diamond loose, put it in his pocket, and left. Back in Europe, he sold it to the King of France. Soon after, Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs.
Over time, the Hope Diamond—as it became known—passed from owner to owner. Wherever it went, it seemed to bring bad luck. Some people believed it was cursed. They said that even looking at it would lead to doom.
Just a Story?
Good story, right? Evalyn and Ned McLean thought so. They heard it from Pierre Cartier. He’s the jeweler who sold them the diamond in 1911. There was just one problem with the story: Cartier had made it up!
Cartier doesn’t deserve all the credit for the rumor. Stories about cursed diamonds were popular at the time. News articles linked the diamonds to many tragedies. These articles were not very credible. But superstitious readers believed them.
The Truth
Is there any truth to the legend of the Hope Diamond? Tavernier did get it in India. But he didn’t steal it. He bought it. He died more than 40 years later. Wild dogs were probably not involved.
Bad things did happen to some of the diamond’s owners. They lost their money, their status, or their lives. But these things could happen to anyone.
Today the Hope Diamond is on display at a museum in Washington, D.C. When it was given to the museum, many credulous people were worried. They thought the gem would bring bad luck to the whole country.
Postal carrier James Todd delivered the diamond to the museum. Later his leg was crushed by a truck. His house burned down too.
Still, millions of tourists view the Hope Diamond every year. They aren’t afraid to look at it. Are you?
