Stoned
There are few things in the world that have captured the human imagination quite like gemstones. Coveted since ancient times, these jewels have been the protagonists of some of the most spectacular love stories, crimes, power struggles and legends the world has ever seen. Here are the dramas behind some of the world’s most famous gems.
The Hope Diamond
Weighing in at 45.52 carats, the striking blue Hope Diamond is possibly the most famous stone in the world. This is in no small part thanks to its colourful history, which includes an English King, a wealthy American socialite, a stint in the French Crown Jewels, and a curse or two.
Legend has it that the diamond, which originally weighed 112 carats, came from the eye of an Indian idol. This implies that it must have once had an equally hefty mate, but if so, it has sadly been lost to history. What has supposedly remained, however, is the curse which was cast on the stone when it was plucked from the idol. It was prophesised that death and misfortune would come to anyone who owned or even touched the stone.
Bearing in mind that Marie Antoinette was apparently beheaded wearing the stone and that the subsequent owners, King George IV of England and the Hope family, had to sell it off after squandering their fortunes, it is understandable why its curse has become so notorious.
In 1909 the Hope Diamond ended up in the hands of Parisian jeweller Pierre Cartier, who had a reason to hype up its infamy. He had a potential buyer in mind, and he thought the notion of a curse may, ironically, speed up the sale. The lady in question was America Evalyn Walsh McLean, who believed she had the knack of turning other people’s bad fortune into her own good fortune. Her motivation for believing this, was questionable. After all, she had already lost two young children and her husband had been committed to a mental asylum. That said, Cartier’s approach worked a charm, as McLean bought the diamond and had it set in the extravagant setting in which it remains today in its home at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington. Oh, and yes, she sold it to settle her debts.
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond
According to legend, whoever owns the 109 carat Koh-i-Noor diamond “will own the world, but will know all of its misfortunes”. Fittingly, the “Mountain of Light” has been owned by emperors throughout Indian history, none of whom have met peaceful ends. When Delhi was raided by the Persians, the Mogul emperor at the time tried to hide the stone in his turban. Unfortunately his plan didn’t work, and the Persian Nadir Shah took the turban – along with his neck and head. The stone remained with the Persian leaders for 110 years before they met their own unfortunate fates in the Sikh wars. It then made its way to the UK, to be owned by another leader, Queen Victoria. Luckily for her, the stone only seemed to curse its male owners, and since 1911 the diamond has been a valuable part of the Crown Jewels.
The Delhi Purple Sapphire
According to erstwhile owner and scientist, Edward Heron-Allen, the Delhi Purple Sapphire is “trebly accursed and is stained with the blood and the dishonour of everyone who has ever owned it”.
Trying to rid himself of the gem, Heron-Allen donated it to the London Natural History Museum in 1943, but hid it in seven sealed boxes before doing so in order to attempt to trap its powerful energies. Heron-Allen recounted the story that the previous owner and his son both lost their entire fortunes as well as their health after owning the jewel, and that a friend of theirs committed suicide after briefly looking after the stone for them.
When Heron-Allen himself bought the stone (which is actually an amethyst), he was immediately struck with bad luck, and thus tried to give it away. Both friends to whom he gave the stone returned it after experiencing the curse. He then tried to throw the gem into a canal, but it was returned to him three months later by a dredger who recovered it. Adamant not to keep it, Heron-Allen had the Delhi Purple Sapphire locked away in 1904, but even after it was donated to the museum in 1943, it continued to curse anyone who touched it. A scientist taking it on a symposium fell violently ill and was subjected to such horrific thunderstorms on his travels that he never reached the symposium.
The Black Orlov
The 67 carat Black Orlov is also said to have been cursed when it was stolen from a Hindu shrine. And true to its legacy, three subsequent owners have committed suicide by leaping to their death while under the curse. The first of these was Russian Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov, who jumped off a building in Rome, Italy, after fleeing during the Russian Revolution. A second Russian princess, Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky, met the same fate in 1947 after having previously owned the stone, as did JW Paris, who leapt to his death after he brought it into the United States in 1932. Coincidence? That’s up to you to decide.
The Mother of all Jewel Collections
Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II has such an impressive jewel collection that she has a special room to house it. The room, which is safely situated beneath Buckingham Palace, is the size of an ice rink. As part of the collection she has several of the large stones cut from the Cullinan diamond. The Cullinan I and II (530 and 317 carats respectively) are collectively known as the Stars of Africa and are part of the Crown Jewels. The Queen Mother reportedly referred to the Cullinan III and IV (94 and 63 carats respectively) as “Granny’s Chips”.
Story by Bob Truda
