Hope Diamond
Legends abound regarding the Hope Diamond. Old suspicions resulted in scientific proof that the Hope Diamond was re cut from the equally famous Tavernier Blue. The twisted tale started with The Hope Diamond suddenly appeared on the market in 1830. Henry Hope of London bought the beautiful blue gem that weighed in at 44.50 carats
After the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839 the diamond passed to a nephew, Henry T. Hope and ultimately to the nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. Obtaining permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters, Lord Francis Hope sold the blue diamond in 1901 to help pay off his debts.
A London dealer bought and quickly resold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City. The Frankels kept the stone in New York until they needed cash. Selim Habib bought the diamond and in 1909 put it up for auction in Paris, but it did not sell. It did sell soon after to C.H. Rosenau who resold it to Pierre Cartier.
In 1910 Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington D.C. saw the Hope diamond at Cartier's in Paris but she was not fond of the setting. So Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. and left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. Cartier's strategy worked.
The sale was made official in 1911. Cartier had mounted the diamond on a tiara flanked by white diamonds. Sometime later the Hope diamond was reset as the pendant on a diamond necklace. Mrs. McLean owned the stone until her death in 1947.
Harry Winston of New York purchased Mrs. McLean's entire jewelry collection which included the Hope diamond. Mrs. McLean's collection also included the 94.8-carat Star of the East diamond, the 15-carat Star of the South diamond, a 9-carat green diamond, and a 31-carat diamond which is now called the McLean diamond.
Harry Winston exhibited the diamond for a number of years. In 1958 Winston's donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.
Hope Diamond Technical Details
- Weight of the Hope diamond reported for years at 44.5 carats. In 1974 it was removed from its setting - actually weighed 45.52 carats.
- Classified as a type IIb diamond,i.e., semi-conductive and usually phosphoresce.
- Phosphoresces a strong red color under short wave ultra-violet light .. and lasts for several seconds after exposure to.
- Diamond's blue coloration attributed to trace amounts of boron.
Hope Diamond Graded
- Gem shows evidence of wear
- Remarkably strong phosphorescence
- Clarity - slightly affected by whitish graining common to blue diamonds
- Color description - fancy dark grayish-blue
- Alternate grading using a very sensitive colorimeter - very slight violet component
