Top 10 Victims of the Hope Diamond "Curse"
You understand I have no proofs the Hope Diamond was cursed but there are some interesting /strange coincidences we can think about.The Hope Diamond is probably the most well known diamond in history. It was discovered in India in 1642 and is currently estimated to be worth between $250 - $350 million.
The Hope Diamond is/was also known as The French Blue, and The Blue Diamond Of the Crown. The diamond was stolen in 1792, during the French revolution, from the building that stored the French crown jewels. It is believed that the diamond resurfaced in 1830 and was bought by Henri Thomas Hope, hence the name Hope Diamond.
Let's see what happened to some of the people who owned it, wore it or just touched it.
There's no evidence but it's believed that the curse started with this guy because he stole the blue diamond from a Hindu statue, where the gem was serving as one of the eyes. And the priests put a curse on whoever was in possession of the gem which has included a fair amount of people over the years.
I've researched this a bit, and the diamond and it's "victims" have a very interesting history. Great list
Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi-Soleil), was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a major... read more King Louis XIV bought the stone from Tavernier and had it recut in 1673. It was adorned in his royal crown. Although he isn't known as a tragic king, there was tragedy in his life - all of his legitimate children died in childhood, except for one (5 died, 1 survived).
Nicholas Fouquet worked for King Louis XIV and it's believed he wore the diamond for a special occasion. The curse? He was banished from France and imprisoned for life. Some believe he was the real Man in the Iron Mask but this isn't proven.
Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793), born Louis-Auguste, also known as Louis Capet, was King of France from 1774 until his deposition in 1792, although his formal title after 1791 was King of the French. He was guillotined on 21 January 1793. His father, Louis, Dauphin of France, was the... read more Louis XVI inherited the French Blue, Marie Antoinette wore it and both were
guillotined during the French Revolution.
Marie Antoinette was the last Queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an Archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor... read more Marie Antoinette wore it. She was guillotined and her body was thrown into an unmarked grave in the Madeleine cemetery.
Wilhelm Fals was a Dutch jeweler who recut the diamond again. His son murdered him and then killed himself.
Marie-Louise, Princess de Lamballe, was a member of Marie Antoinette's court and was her closest friend.
There's no photographic evidence for obvious reasons but Marie-Louise was most probably allowed to wear the gem from time to time. Marie-Louise was killed by a mob - she was hit with a hammer, decapitated, stripped, and disemboweled. Her head was impaled on a pike and carried to Marie Antoinette's prison window.
Simon Maoncharides was a Greek merchant who owned the diamond. He drove his car over a cliff and killed himself, his wife, and his child.
Her son died at the age of 9, her daughter died from a drug overdose at 25, her husband dumped her for another woman and he later died in a mental hospital, and she died owing huge debts.
James Todd was the innocent mailman who delivered the diamond to the Smithsonian museum. Shortly thereafter he had his leg crushed in a truck accident, suffered a head injury in a separate accident, and his house burned down.
The Hope Diamond had to be delivered to the Smithsonian because Harry Winston bought the gem from the
McLean's family but in 1958 he mailed it as a gift to the Smithsonian...for $2.44 in postage and $143 in insurance! And the horrific story of The Hope Diamond ended. Hopefully.