ChEsKa'S pRiDe

While shopping, a friend asked me to accompany her to a jewelry store nearby. Since I also liked the idea, I agreed. There were a lot of gems in there (obviously) but one stood out in particular among all of them - a rather large diamond attached to a gold ring. To my surprise, she mentioned something about curses and jewels. Curious, I did some searching and found some interesting legends about cursed jewels, so here's what I found.

Hope Diamond

Probably the best known cursed jewel around the world, was said to have been taken from the forehead of a Hindu idol. Some sources say it was a priest who stole the diamond who later sold it, while some others say it was found in one of the mines in India. Either way, it was later bought by a man named Tavernier who later sold it to King Louis the XIV.

Some sources claim that the curse started to appear while it was in the hands of King Louis the XIV. Others claim it started when King Louis the XVI was beheaded along with his wife Marie Antoinette. Afterwards, the diamond was passed on to different people who would suffer the curse. The diamond would then later come into the possession of a man named henry Philip Hope who would give the diamond its name.

The family who had probably suffered the greatest because of the effects of the curse would be the McLeans. Edward McLeans mother died along with two servants (the cause of death was not mentioned), their nine-year-old son died in a car crash, their daughter committed suicide at the age of 25 (said to be from overdose of sleeping pills), Edward McLean himself was declared insane and died in a mental institution.

The diamond is now on display in the National Museum of Natural History.

Sources: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/a/hopediamond.htm, http://www.underworldtales.com/hope.htm


The Black Orlov

Another diamond that was said to have been stolen from a Hindu idol. JW Paris, the diamond dealer, committed suicide by jumping off from the top of one of New York's tallest buildings after selling the jewel. Later, Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and Princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky also committed suicide by leaping to their deaths.

The diamond was later cut into three separate gems to break the curse. None of its owners have suffered the same fate as the previous three.

Source: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2005/sept/news_6429.html



Delhi Purple Sapphire

Another gem that came from India. However, unlike the previous two, the misfortunes that befell its owners have not been elaborated.

A young curator named Peter Tandy found an amethyst with a note that accompanied it three decades ago. The note said, "This stone is terribly accursed and is stained with the blood, and the dishonour of everyone who has ever owned it". Apparently, it was written by a scientist named Edward Heron-Allen.

The scientist, being the last owner of the jewel, sealed it inside seven boxes and included the said note. The note ended with, "Whoever shall then open it, shall first read out this warning, and then do as he pleases with the jewel. My advice to him or her is to cast it into the sea.”

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2935508.ece

Well, I'm not a believer of myths and legends but the history behind these jewels are interesting to read. How about you?