Is the Hope Diamond cursed?
One Diamond. Several Families. Cursed...
The Hope Diamond is one of the oldest and most famous jewels in the world - once thought to have been part of a 112 carat stone, that was eventually purchased by Louis XIV for use in the French Crown Jewels. It is a common misconception that the stone was on board the Titanic - it was not, the diamond's owner at the time didn't sail on the ship - however it is believed the diamond inspired the famous necklace form the movie, the Heart of the Ocean. In the jewel trade, many believe the stone is cursed and a great misfortune will befall those who own or touch it...
The diamond had a rocky start, passed into the hands of infamous couple Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (who were eventually executed during the French Revolution), then onto Francis Hope (the diamond is named after him) who suffered a fall from grace wasting the family wealth and having an affair with a showgirl - and finally Joseph Frankel (a jeweller) who ended up broke not long after falling into possession of the dimond!
But the story does not end there...
Later, the diamond was sold to wealthy American couple, Evalyn and Ned McLean, who symbolised the glamour of the Roaring 20s. Soon after, their son died in a car accident, Ned suffered from a mental illness and their daughter died. The diamond quickly became front page news as American audiences became fascinated with curses, after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Evalyn, desperate to undo the bad that the diamond had supposedly brought into the world, began to use it for good - displaying it at charity events and even offering it to brides to use on their special day as their something blue...
There are many theories about the curse, but can the diamond really be to blame?
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