Only a handful of people knew about it and all were sworn to silence. The Centenary was found on 17th July 1986 by the electric X-ray recovery system at the Premier Mine. Harry Winston purchased the Hope Diamond from her estate in 1949, and 9 years later it was given to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Mrs McLean was the longest private owner and she owned the diamond for 36 years until her death in 1947. After time, Evalyn became convinced that the true power of the Hope Diamond came from the joy and awe which filled the faces of those who gazed upon it. This gift was given to Evalyn by her husband Ned, who owned the Washington Post and Cincinnati Enquire newspapers. Some say, those who owned the blue stone, had some kind of back luck associated with them wherever they went.Īt the turn of the century, in 1911, the diamond was purchased by a young American socialite heiress named Evalyn Walsh McLean who bought the Hope Diamond from Cartier for US$185,000. It was rumoured, according to legend, jewellers and thieves had previously acquired the stone. For many decades, the Hope Diamond could not be found. Later, the diamond was discovered stolen during the French Revolution. In 1642, the famous Blue Tavernier Diamond from Europe was in the hands of King Louis XIV who had it cut to bring out its brilliance. The Hope was reputedly used to adorn the statue of a Hindu idol. It was believed to have a great mystical power that surrounded this unusual size and unique colour, a deep indigo blue. Long before the fabled bad luck associated with its owners, the Hope Diamond has an illustrious history. Widely considered the most famous diamond in the world, the Hope Diamond receives its name from Henry Thomas Hope and was discovered centuries ago in the southern region of India. Origin: Unknown but believed to originate from India When the Cullinan was first discovered, certain signs suggested that it could have been part of a much larger crystal, but no discovery of the ‘missing half’ has ever been authenticated. It eventually yielded nine major and 96 smaller brilliant-cut stones. The Cullinan was cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, who examined the enormous crystal for around six months before determining how to divide it. The Cullinan was discovered by Frederick Wells, a mine superintendent in Transvaal, South Africa in 1895 on an inspection tour of the Premier Mine. It was cut from the 3,106 carat Cullinan, the largest diamond crystal ever found. Pear shaped, with 74 facets, it is set in the Royal sceptre (kept with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London). Two of the small stones were presented to Louis Botha, who gave one to his daughter when she turned 17.Īt 530.20 carats the Cullinan I, or Star of Africa diamond is the largest cut diamond in the world. The Transvaal government bought the remaining stones and pieces, and presented the other 6 major gems to Queen Mary in 1910. King Edward bought one of the major gems for his consort, Queen Alexandra. The two largest gems were kept for England’s regalia and the rest went to Asscher as payment. The diamond was divided into 9 major gemstones, 96 smaller stones and about 19.5cts of unpolished pieces. The Cullinan was handed to Amsterdam’s House of Asscher to polish. US $1 million and presented it to England’s King Edward VII as a token of thanks for granting Transvaal its own constitution. Louis Botha, premier of the Transvaal, persuaded his government to buy the diamond for approx. The rough diamond was nearly flawless and named the Cullinan in honour of Sir Thomas Cullinan, the founder of the Premier Mine, who was visiting that very day. The Cullinan, the largest gem quality diamond ever found, was discovered at the Premier Mine on 26th January 1905.
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