The Curse of the Hope Diamond - Washington, DC
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 38° 53.443 W 077° 01.557
18S E 324292 N 4306600
The Hope Diamond is said to curse people who come in contact with it.
Waymark Code: WM6G6X
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2009
Views: 46
According to legend, the Hope diamond once decorated the forehead of an Indian idol, when it was stolen by a Hindu priest. The priest was captured and tortured for his troubles.
The diamond then first surfaced in Europe in 1642, in the possession of the French trader and smuggler named Jean Babtiste Tefernier. He made a sizeable profit from its sale, but allowed his son to spend most of the money. Travelling to India to get back his fortune, Tefernier was attacked by a pack of rabid dogs and ripped to piece. This was the start of the Hope Diamond’s curse.
The diamond next passed to King Louis XIV of France, who resized it from 112.5 carats to 67.5. The reduction though did not affect the curse. When Nicholas Fouquet, a government official, borrowed the diamond for a state ball, he was convicted of embezzlement and sentence to life in prison. Princess de Lambelle, who wore the diamond regularly, was beaten to death by a Parisian mob. Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded.
In 1830, the gem was purchased by English banker Henry Thomas Hope for $150,000. The Hope Diamond continued its curse. The family fortunes declined rapidly, and one grandson died penniless before another heir finally sold the curse stone. For the next 16 years, the Hope diamond continued to cause grief. Owners Jacques Colet, committed suicide, and Russian Prince Ivan Kannitovitsky was murdered. In 1908, Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey paid $400,000 for the diamond and gave it to one of his concubines, Surbaya. Later Hamid stabbed Subaya to death and ended up dethroned. Simon Montharides owned it until one evening his carriage overturned, killing him, along with his wife and infant daughter.
The curse made its way to the United States when financial tycoon Ned McLean, who paid just $154,000 for the jewel. Vincent, his son, died in a car crash, and his daughter died from an overdoes. Ned Mclean himself died in an insane asylum. The gem was passed to other family members who sold it to dealer Harry Winston.
Winston gave the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute where its on display at the National Museum of Natural History. Since being put on display, no more curse have been reported.
Additional Requirement?:
What's the Real Story?:
Website Source: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Visit the location. If an action is required, test the action. Post a story and photograph of what happened. Do your best to keep your GPSr out of the photos.