"Hope" weighs 45.42 carats, is dark blue, and is a world-famous treasure.
Metaphysics believes that things like jewelry and diamonds are always accompanied by murder and robbery, and they are ominous things stained with blood. As for this diamond of destruction, it is said that its owners died mysteriously one after another until it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
The concrete deeds are summarized as follows:
In AD 1642, the French explorer and jeweler Tavimir first got this huge gem diamond in southwest India, weighing 1 12 carats, with an extremely rare dark blue. Tavimir took the gem back to France and presented it to King Louis XIV of France. The king sealed him an official position and gave him a large sum of money as the price of the gem. The legendary bad luck has also begun to befall those who come into contact with precious stones. Tavimir's property was completely spent by his unfilial son, leaving him penniless at the age of 80 and still going to India again, hoping to seek new wealth. However, he was killed by wild dogs there.
Next, it was the turn of King Louis XIV of France. He polished this blue gem diamond into a diamond weighing 69.03 carats. Louis XIV wore it only once and soon died of smallpox. King Louis XV of France became the new owner of diamonds. He swore not to wear this big dark blue diamond, but he lent it to his mistress. As a result, Louis XV's mistress was beheaded in the French Revolution. This big blue diamond was passed on to Louis XVI of France, and his queen often wore it. As a result, Louis XVI and his wife were both guillotined. Princess Lambona, the girlfriend of Queen Louis XVI, became the owner of this blue diamond. She was probably killed in the French Revolution because she wore this unlucky diamond again.
This big blue diamond was stolen from the French national treasury on 1792. The fate of the thief is unknown, except that it was reconsidered once and its weight was reduced to 45.52 carats. It appeared in the jewelry market in London on 1830, and was bought by the banker Hope at a price of 18000. Since then, this blue diamond has been named "Hope" after the new owner's surname. Because the English word "Hope" also has the meaning of hope, it is also called "hope". Hope, a banker, unmarried, passed the blue diamond to his grandson (on condition that he changed his surname to Hope). The new diamond owner later married American actress Josie. Soon, Little Hope went bankrupt, and Josie divorced him. Josie died in Boston, USA on 1940. She was poor in her later years and often complained that the "hope" of Gulan diamonds brought her bad luck. 1906, Little Hope was forced to sell the blue diamond "Hope" to pay off debts. In the following two years, "Hope" was resold many times.
1908, the blue diamond "Hope" was purchased by Turkish Sultangamid II for 400,000 US dollars. It is said that when the businessman who handled this business went out with his wife and children, the car fell off a cliff and the whole family was killed together. The blue diamond "Hope" was given to his confidant Zobid by Sudan in a Turkish court, but soon Zobid was executed by Sudan.
19 1 1 year, Mackland, the postmaster in Washington, USA, bought the blue diamond "Hope" for 1 14000 dollars, and he gave it to his wife as a gift. Mrs Macland was told that it was a diamond that would bring bad luck, and many historical legends were told. Mrs Macland laughed it off. She often wears this diamond, and often wears it with another famous diamond she owns, the 94.8-carat "Oriental Star", to show luxury and wealth. Maybe it is a coincidence! The year after Mrs. Macland got the "hope" of Blue Diamond, her son died in a car accident, her husband, Mr. Macland, died soon, and her daughter died of overdose of sleeping pills.
Mrs. Table Crane died on 1947. Winston, a famous American jeweler, bought all her jewels on 1958 and became the new owner of the blue diamond "Hope". What about the aftermath? Winston took this unlucky diamond and flew across the Atlantic many times in different seasons. Of course, everything is safe, but an interesting thing happened to him.
Once, Winston and his wife went to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. When he returned to new york, his wife left by plane the day before, and Winston himself flew back to new york the next day. Mrs. Winston's plane flew as scheduled and landed at Maria airport in Azores to refuel. It was delayed for about three hours because of a minor engine failure. While waiting for repairs, a male passenger suddenly refused to take the plane again and insisted on taking the next day's plane instead, so he got off the plane and left. Winston doesn't know about it. On the way to Lisbon airport the next day, he received a telegram from his wife saying that she had arrived in new york safely. Winston put the telegram in his pocket and boarded the flight to new york. When the plane took off, he found that the seat next to him was empty. He is very happy because he can have a good sleep. When he woke up, the plane had arrived at Maria airport in Azores. When the plane refueled, he got off the plane and went for a walk.
When he returned to the plane, he found a guest beside him, who was telling an adventure story to the passengers on the plane. He said that he actually took a plane with the wife of the owner of the unlucky diamond yesterday. Sure enough, the plane broke down at this Mary airport, so he quickly got off the plane and asked to take today's plane instead, and so on. The passenger continued, "I'm not superstitious, but why should I risk flying with the wife of the owner of that unlucky diamond?" I insist on taking another plane. You see, I'm safe and can talk here. Winston was really dumbfounded, thinking, what would this guy do now if he knew I was the owner of the blue diamond "Hope"? Just then, the guest next door suddenly raised his voice and said, "It would be strange if that plane could arrive safely yesterday." "Mr. Winston, who has a good self-restraint, probably can't help it. He took out his wife's telegram from his pocket and handed it to the excited passengers next door. Suddenly, he was as quiet as a deflated ball until he reached his destination, new york. The passengers never spoke again.
This has experienced a lot of ups and downs and found a suitable home. Winston donated it to the country as a gift, and it is now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, USA. From then on, it is no longer an ornament to show off luxury and wealth, or to increase personal beauty, but a specimen of scientific research.
1905 65438+1On October 25th, a manager named Welsh saw a shiny thing half exposed on the ground of the mine. He dug it out with a knife and saw that it was a huge high-quality diamond. Its weight is 3 106ct, which is equivalent to the fist size of an adult man. It is pure and transparent, with a light blue hue, and it is the most upscale diamond. This is the largest diamond in the world-"Cullinan".
Cullinan was so big that no one could afford it at that time. Later, the local authorities in Transvaal, South Africa bought it for 6.5438+0.5 million pounds, and presented it to the British royal family on February 9, 654.38+0.907 to celebrate the birthday of King Edward III of England. At the beginning of 1908, "Cullinan" was sent to Amsterdam, the most authoritative city in the Netherlands at that time, and was handed over to J. Askar for processing, with a processing fee of 80,000 pounds. Because the original stone is too big, it needs to be split into several small pieces as planned in advance. This is an extremely difficult job, because if the research is not enough or the technology is not good enough, this huge diamond will break into a pile of worthless small pieces. The chopping work was done by a famous Dutch craftsman, Jo Aschar. He spent several weeks studying Cullinan, made a glass model according to its size and shape, and designed a set of tools. He first tested the glass model with these tools, and the results achieved the expected requirements. 1908 February 10, he and his assistant came to a special studio, clamped Cullinan tightly with a pair of big pliers, and then put the special steel wedge in a groove ground in advance. Joe Ashcar struck the steel wedge with a heavy hammer. With a bang, Cullinan didn't move, but the steel wedge was broken. Cold sweat streamed down Ashcar's face, and he put the second steel wedge in an explosive atmosphere. Knock hard again, this time, "Cullinan" really split in two, while Ashcar fainted on the ground.
After Cullinan was split up, it was pondered by three skilled craftsmen. It took them more than eight months to work 65,438+04 hours a day. A * * * Polishes 9 large diamonds and 96 small diamonds. The total weight is 1063.65ct, which is only 34.25% of Cullinan's original weight. The nine big diamonds grinded by Cullinan all belong to the British royal family. The largest of the nine grains is called "African Star I", weighing 530.2 carats, pear-shaped and polished on 74 sides. It is the largest diamond today, embedded in the power battle of the king of England. The second largest diamond is called "Africa Star II", weighing 3 17.4 carats, with a square appearance and 64 facets. It is the second largest diamond in the world and is now set in the middle of the crown of the British Empire.
The word "diamond" comes from Greek, meaning "invincible". Diamonds are precious not only because of their irresistible beauty, but also because of their long and glorious history.
Diamonds are precious not only because of their irresistible beauty, but also because of their long and glorious history. The word "diamond" comes from Greek, meaning "invincible".
This is new york, USA. Henry Winston, the most famous jeweler in the world, lives on Fifth Avenue.
Hope diamonds, known as "bad luck diamonds", are carefully cared for here.
There is a story behind every diamond, and I hope diamonds are no exception. This is a rare blue diamond weighing 46 carats. For more than 200 years, although all kinds of unknown legends have been with it, it still hasn't stopped people from competing to become its owners.
Its ultimate owner, Henry Winston, is a legendary businessman. In his career of more than 50 years, one third of the most famous diamonds in the world have experienced his hands. In addition to the royal collection, he also owns the most precious jewelry collection in the world.
Diamonds are precious not only because of their irresistible beauty, but also because of their long and glorious history.
Diamonds were first discovered in rivers in India about 2500 years ago. In ancient society, diamonds were considered special, and the word "diamond" came from Greek, meaning "invincible".
Many people firmly believe that diamonds contain supernatural power, which can bring good luck and drive away evil. Warriors wear diamonds because they believe that the hardness of diamonds can make them invincible.
At first, Indians found that only diamonds could cut the diamond itself. In the14th century, they used diamond powder to process and polish diamonds, thus making them more beautiful. However, in the process of polishing, don't overdo it, otherwise, the diamond may lose its magical power.
Perhaps the "Big Mughal" is the biggest diamond in the world. But Tavernier doesn't like it very much, not because the diamond cutting is not ideal, but because of the lack of intriguing experience.
/kloc-in the 0/7th century, the wealth of Indians spread to Europe. The Frenchman Jean Tavernier beat us to it. Tavernier's family is good at making maps, so he likes traveling very much. In fact, what fascinates him more is diamonds. In diamonds, Tavernier found a satisfaction of longing for rare and beautiful things, and at the same time he could gather personal wealth.
During the period of 1638, the second destination of Tavernier's six eastward trips was Gorkangda in southern India. This place is the most important diamond center in ancient times and the origin of some of the most famous diamonds in the world. The biggest and best gems are privately owned by the ruler of Golconda.
During his trip, Tavernier described hundreds of different shapes and colors of jewels he witnessed, including diamonds called "Big Mughal".
The owner of the gem put a big, rose-shaped diamond in Tavernier's hand. This is such a beautiful and charming diamond, weighing 280 carats.
Perhaps the "Big Mughal" is the biggest diamond in the world. But Tavernier doesn't like it very much, not because the diamond cutting is not ideal, but because of the lack of intriguing experience.
Tavernier didn't see the most famous diamond called "Mountain of Light". According to the records, that diamond has existed since BC. According to legend, whoever can get it can dominate the whole world.
1739, the Persian warlord leader Nadir Shah conquered the northern Indian city of Delhi, and he vowed to protect this magical gem.
A woman in the inner palace of India told me that diamonds were hidden in the headscarf of the Mughal emperor. So Nadir arranged a grand banquet. To show friendship, he suggested exchanging headscarves according to oriental etiquette.
When the Mughal emperor took off his turban, a dazzling diamond rolled down, and the Persian ruler couldn't help shouting, "This is the mountain of light!" " "
The diamond got its name, but unfortunately Nadir didn't enjoy the diamond to his heart's content. The "Mountain of Light" diamond is the witness of some bloody events in Persian history. /kloc-returned to India in 0/813.
Thirty years later, India succumbed to British rule. This diamond eventually became one of the royal jewelry collections. "Mountain of Light" has a bad reputation and is said to bring misfortune to men. Queen Victoria is a superstitious person. She stipulated that diamonds could not be passed on to the reigning king, but only to the queen.
At first, the way for Indians to identify diamonds was to compare and identify them in clear streams. The best diamonds are colorless. Tavernier took the method of identifying diamonds one step further. He classified diamonds according to their cutting conditions, weight, color and clarity, which laid the foundation for later diamond classification.
But for Tavernier, the greatest value of diamonds lies in its history. Otherwise, his interest will be greatly reduced.
1669, Tavernier returned to France, and he brought the magical oriental legend back to the French palace. Besides, his diamond collection is unprecedented in the West.
French court life reached the peak of luxury in the period of Louis 14. Fascinated by Tavernier's collection, the king finally decided to buy 44 large diamonds and thousands of smaller diamonds, including a blue diamond weighing 1 12 carats.
It is said that this gem is an eye stolen from a Hindu god, so it will bring its owner more than 200 years of bad luck. After cutting, the sapphire weighs 67 carats. Before contracting deadly smallpox, the king only wore this diamond once. His successor, Louis XV, was forbidden to touch it. But in the period of Louis XVI, the situation was very different. Queen Marie Antoinette has a soft spot for diamonds.