Where Did the Hope Diamond Come From?
The Hope Diamond, whose weight exceeds 45 carats, was discovered in Golconda, India, as part of a much larger diamond in the Kollur mine in 1668. The ring passed through the hands of various owners before being housed in its current location, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
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Jean Baptiste Tavernier
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The first recorded owner was Frenchman Jean Baptiste Tavernier. When the traveling merchant purchased the gemstone that would be cut into and eventually renamed the Hope Diamond, it weighed more than 110 carats.
King Louis XIV
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France's King Louis XIV bought the diamond from Tavernier in 1668. Dubbed "the French Blue" because of its color, it was cut down to nearly 70 carats and became part of the crown jewels collection.
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King Louis XVI
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During King Louis XVI's reign, the French Blue was stolen in September 1792 during a bout of looting.
Henry Philip Hope
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The man whom the diamond is named after, Henry Philip Hope, first noted in 1839 in his catalog that tracked his gem collection that he possessed the stone, but he didn't record what he paid for it or who he bought it from.
Evalyn Walsh McLean
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After being passed along to a few members of the Hope family and through several others' hands when Lord Francis Hope sold it to settle debts, Evalyn Walsh McLean bought the stone in 1911 after French jeweler Cartier reset it for her.
Harry Winston
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American jeweler Harry Winston purchased all of McLean's jewelry from her estate in 1949. The diamond toured as an exhibit until Harry Winston donated it to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958.
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