Diamonds are absolutely beautiful. Whether it is an engagement proposal, birthday surprise or a seemingly ordinary Tuesday, these sparkly little stones brighten every occasion. But did you know these extraordinary gems can also be really spooky sometimes? Over the years, throughout history, expensive, exceptional pieces of jewelry have caused great drama, conflict and left behind mysteries. Here are 4 famous diamonds that are supposedly cursed and have fascinating stories behind them.
The Hope Diamond
When talking about interesting, cursed diamonds this one is almost always the first one to be brought up. The Hope Diamond is believed to have originated in India and then smuggled and brought to the west. This beautiful 45.52 carat, fancy deep blue gemstone is infamous for bringing bad luck to all its owners. Some of its most famous owners were Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI who were both beheaded. Princess de Lamballe was lynched to death, Jacques Colet committed suicide; Lord Francis Hope went bankrupt and had to sell the diamond; musical actress May Yohe got divorced and remarried several times before she died in poverty at 72. The last person to privately own the diamond was American socialite Evalyn McLean whose daughter died of overdose, son died in a car crash and husband left her for another woman. The trustee of her estate sold the diamond to Harry Winston who donated it to the Smithsonian, where the cursed stone is still on display.
The Sancy Diamond
The Sancy Diamond is a stunning 55.23 carat pear shaped diamond with a subtle yellow hue that was allegedly stolen from India. The diamond was sold at some point by a French soldier to King James I of England who would often wear the diamond as a symbol of good luck – Ironic. The Sancy Diamond has disappeared and reappeared several times in history. Once the stone was supposedly stolen from a messenger and lost to thieves. However, the Sancy Diamond was found in an unexpected place just a few days later.
The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
The Koh-I-Noor is a large, colorless diamond that rests in the famous crown of Queen Elizabeth and is on display at the Tower of London. This sparkling diamond was fought over by rulers all over the globe and has a history of about 5,000 years. Till this day, the diamond is fought over by Afghanistan, Iran and India – all claiming to be its rightful owner. The curse of the Koh-I-Noor is believed to only affect men.
The Black Orlov Diamond
This beautiful black diamond originally was one of the eyes in a statue of a Hindu god in Pondicherry and was stolen by a monk in the nineteenth century. Diamond dealer J W Paris brought it to the U.S in 1932 and ended up jumping from a New York skyscraper. The next owners of the gem like Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and Leonila Galitsine-Bariantinsky also committed suicide. The diamond was finally cut into three pieces by a jeweler who claimed to have broken the curse.
These diamonds were as gorgeous as they were fatal. As they say – Everything that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it’s a cursed diamond!
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