A legend has it that the Hope Diamond is cursed and that Tavernier did not purchase it but stole it from a Hindu idol in an Indian temple.
If foreign invaders, including the British, hadn't plundered India, our country would still be known as the "Golden Bird" today. The British hardly spared any temple or royal treasury in India the plunder. Among the treasures taken was a magnificent diamond that eventually made its way to the United States. This diamond is known as the Hope Diamond, believed to be cursed because its owners often met untimely deaths.
It has long been believed that the diamond was extracted from the Kollur mines in Guntur. However, new evidence suggests that it might have come from the Kimberlite regions of Vajrakarur in Andhra Pradesh, where it was mined along with other diamonds.
Since its discovery in the 17th century, the Hope Diamond has changed hands many times. It is believed that French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier purchased it in its uncut form. According to the Smithsonian, the diamond was owned by various royal families over time, including Louis XIV of France and New York City's Harry Winston, who later donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in 1958.
A legend has it that the Hope Diamond is cursed and that Tavernier did not purchase it but stole it from a Hindu idol in an Indian temple. According to the Cape Town Diamond Museum in South Africa, when the temple priests discovered the diamond was missing, they cursed the person who took it. This curse supposedly brought misfortune and premature death to many of the diamond's subsequent owners.
Hope Diamond's current location
In 1839, a gemstone collector named Henry Philip Hope acquired the diamond, which was subsequently named after him. According to the Smithsonian, the diamond is now set in a pendant surrounded by 16 white diamonds, attached to a chain adorned with 45 white diamonds. It is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. According to the Chicago Diamond Buyer, the Hope Diamond is valued at over $250 million (Rs 20,86,41,00,000 approximately).
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