5 Haunting Tragedies of India’s Diamond Curse Tied To Dark Past
The stolen diamond was not a “gem” but an eye of the Hindu God.
An artifact shrouded in mysteries and legends, the blood diamond is literally the stuff that horror movies are made of.
The ominous stories surrounding people who possessed this diamond are as multi-faceted and riveting as the diamond itself — also known as ‘Le Bijou de Roi,’ which translates to ‘the king’s jewel,’ and ‘Le Bleu de France,’ which translates to ‘France’s blue, the Hope Diamond is an exquisite 45.52-carat jewel.
1- The Enigmatic Origins: From ‘Le Bijou de Roi’ to the Tavernier Blue
It is an incredible shade of blue that would be the envy of many fashionistas to wear, especially with its to-die-for color blue, an expression that is colored in a dark sense of humor and irony if we look at the history of those who were unfortunate enough to own this.
Although currently valued at $250 million, the actual price of the Tavernier Blue is the well-being of its owners, or victims might be the more apt word for these unfortunate people. Since the diamond is believed to have been cursed.
During the entirety of its long history, the hope diamond has been stolen twice.
While it has changed custody several times, going from hand to hand, leaving behind a trail of ill fortune and bad luck. Much like the elder wand from Harry Potter, one can possess this diamond at the risk of great mortal peril.
2- A French Connection: Curse Strikes the French Aristocracy
The villain origin story of this cursed diamond begins in the 17th Century. A wealthy French merchant by the name of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (yes, the name does ring a bell right?) used to trade gems.
He allegedly stole a 115-carat blue diamond. That too from a Hindu statue where it was serving as one of the eyes of that statue.
Upon finding this sacred relic missing, the priests put a curse on whosoever would own this diamond. It is believed that Jean-Baptiste came down with a raging fever soon after, which ultimately led to his untimely death.
Tavernier died at 84, in Moscow in 1689, and was unable to complete his journey to Persia. However, his last closing days are not well documented which leaves us in doubt if he was really cursed at the end or not!
So it looks like the curse was legit. However, there are also several accounts of the fact that he lived to be 89. Choose what you want to believe in, is all I can say here.
3- The Deadly Diamond’s Journey through Time
Then what started as a 115-carat diamond, was cut down to 69 carats by King Louis XIV who eventually died of gangrene. But, that is not all.
This was just the beginning of this diamond’s deadly history. This is also where the diamond got its names, ‘the diamond of the crown,’ and the ‘French blue.’
Then it was worn by Nicholas Fouquet who fell out of the King’s favor. He was also sentenced to imprisonment of 15 years in the fortress of Pignerol.
It really looks like this diamond had a grudge against the French, the way it targeted the French aristocracy.
Another French aristocratic party that met a grisly, gruesome end after possessing this diamond was King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.
Antoinette, famous for her dialogue, ‘Let them eat cake,’ when told about the poverty of her people, was guillotined and executed during the French Revolution.
Spoiler alert: She wore the blue diamond. This diamond really is turning into the middle ages equivalent of a horror movie in the making. Especially with how Marie Antoinette’s closest confidante died.
She was supposedly reported to have been wearing the necklace with the blue diamond before she died soon after. Making Marie Louise, Princess de Lambelle another victim of the cursed deadly diamond.
4- Misfortune and Death
During the French Revolution, the blue diamond got stolen. It was then cut by Dutch jeweler, Wilhelm Fals. So, the 45-carat blue diamond we know today came into being.
However, destruction followed the Dutch as his son stole the diamond. And if that was not heartbreak enough, he even allegedly murdered his father. Then to top it all off, took his own life.
5- The Hope Diamond’s Last Victims
Then for many years, no one was aware of the diamond’s whereabouts. Until it showed up in London. Featured in the gem collection catalogs of the ‘Hope’ family. This is where it went from being known as the tavernier blue to being the more popularly known ‘Hope’ diamond.
A Greek merchant owned the diamond until selling it to the renowned French jeweler Pierre Cartier. The merchant drove his car off a cliff soon after. From Cartier, the diamond was brought by an aristocratic heiress, Evelyn Walsh Maclean.
Her misfortune started with the death of her mother-in-law. Then her nine-year-old son passed away and her daughter lost her life to an overdose as well. To make matters worse, Evelyn’s husband was driven to insanity and eventual death in a psychiatric clinic after he left her for another woman.
She even had to sell off her newspaper, The Washington Post. Evelyn died under huge debts and her future children sold the diamond to a famous jeweler.
Evelyn Walsh Mclean wearing the Hope diamond as a necklace.
Evelyn is reputedly considered the last ever private owner of the Hope diamond. Since it was then donated to the Smithsonian Institution. A diamond worth millions was set at $2.44 in postage, insured at a mere $155. The diamond, valued at a whopping $250 million, is currently kept for display at the National Museum of Natural History.
Dissecting the Deadly Diamond Legends
Steeped in such bloodshed, carving a path of such devastating destruction, it is ironic how this deadly diamond is now called the ‘hope’ diamond.
When it has given its owners the exact opposite of hope. So, what do you think about these legends? Could the diamond really be cursed or could this curse be a myth? But then again, how much can be labeled co-incidence when every owner of the diamond met a grisly, gruesome end?
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