 |
| HOPE DIAMOND |
King Louis XV in 1749, had to reset the stone jeweler Andre Jacquemin by the court, in an ornament for the ceremony of the Order of the Golden Fleece ( Toison D ‘ Or) . And in 1791, after an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie – Antoinette to flee France , the jewels of the Royal French Treasury were delivered to the government. During a one – week pillage of the crown jewels and in September 1792 the French Blue diamond was stolen .
In 1812 , a deep blue diamond by John Francillion described as weighing 177 grains ( cereals 4 = 1 carat ) was documented as being in the possession of London diamond merchant , Daniel Eliason . There are strong indications that the stone was recut French Blue and the same stone now known as Hope Diamond. Several references suggest that it was acquired by King George IV of the United Kingdom . At his death in 1830 , the debts of the king were so great that the blue diamond was likely sold through private channels .
The first reference to the next owner of the diamond is in the entrance of the catalog of the gem collection of Henry Philip Hope , the famous , the man with the diamond got its name in 1839 . Unfortunately, the catalog does not know where and to whom the diamond has acquired the heap or how much he paid for it.
After the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839 and after much litigation, the diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and eventually the small son-nephew of Lord Francis Hope. In 1901, Lord Francis Hope received permission from the Court of Chancery and sisters selling the stones to pay his debts. It was sold to a London dealer who sold quickly Frankels Joseph and Sons, New York, which the stone held in New York needed to turn money. The diamond was sold to the next Selim Habib, who auctioned in Paris in 1909, he did not sell at auction, but was sold shortly thereafter to CH Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that year.
In 1910, the Hope Diamond has been shown to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean of Washington DC, at Cartier in Paris, but she did not like the institution. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the United States, where he left with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful. The sale was made in 1911 with the diamond mounted as a helmet on a circle with three levels of large white diamonds. Some time later he was the pendant on a diamond necklace that we know today. Flamboyant owned by Mrs. McLean, stone lasted until his death in 1947.
For the next 10 years, the Hope Diamond has been shown in numerous exhibitions and charity events in the world by Harry Winston Inc. , Including the central attraction of their Court of jewelery exhibition. On November 10, 1958 gave the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, and almost immediately the great blue stone was its main attraction.
The Hope Diamond is the Smithsonian left only four times since it was given. In 1962 it was exhibited for a month at the Louvre Museum in Paris , France, as part of the exhibition, ten centuries of French jewelry . In 1965 , the Hope Diamond traveled to South Africa , where he was exposed to the Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg . In 1984, the diamond was loaned to Harry Winston Inc. New York, as part of the celebration of the 50th company anniversary . In 1996, the Hope Diamond was back at Harry Winston Inc. , New York , this time for cleaning and a few small restoration.
The weight of the Hope Diamond has for years been reported to be 44.5 carats. In 1974, it was removed from the frame and actually found to weigh 45.52 carats. It is classified as a type IIb diamond , which , in general, and semiconductor are phosphorescent . The Hope Diamond Phosphorescent a strong red color , which lasts a few seconds after exposure to short wave ultraviolet light . Blue color diamond is attributable to trace amounts of boron in the stone.
In the pendant around the Hope Diamond are 16 white diamonds, two glasses of pear shapes and kisses. A deposit is soldered to the hanger where Mrs. McLean often other diamonds , including diamond McLean and the star of the East would solve . The chain includes 45 white diamonds
In December 1988 , the Gemological Institute of America team visited the Smithsonian to the rank of the great blue stone using current techniques. They noticed that gem wear a remarkably strong phosphorescence and clarity is somewhat influenced by a whitish graining which is common for blue diamonds. She described the color as a dark blue – gray fantasy . A review on the same day by another gemologist the aid of a highly sensitive colorimeter been found that there is a very light purple color component , the deep blue which are not discernible to the naked eye. Yet one can only wonder what the original stone 112 3/16 carats purchased by Tavernier was described as ” not pretty violet ” ( a beautiful purple )