The Hope Diamond:
The Hope Diamond is one most of us have probably heard of. It’s a 45.52 carat gemstone. I believe it received its fame from being a major part of the Titanic story. Before that, though, this diamond seemed to leave a trail of tragedy to everyone that owned it.
During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette owned the diamond. They both were beheaded. Next, we have Princess de Lamballe who was lynched to death by an angry mob. Suicide, bankruptcy, and divorce followed the Hope Diamond from owner to owner.
The last owner of the diamond was Evalyn McLean. Her daughter died of an overdose and her son in a car crash. Her husband also left her for another woman. The diamond was sold as part of her estate and was eventually donated to the Smithsonian.
The Black Orlov:
The Black Orlov is a 67.50 black diamond. This stone is also known as the Eye of Brahma because it’s believed it was stolen from an ancient statue of Brahma, the Hindi god.
In 1932, a dealer took the diamond to New York to find a buyer. Instead, he committed suicide by jumping from a skyscraper within a few months of arriving to the city. This wasn’t the only recorded suicide by the diamond’s owners. Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and Princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky also met their fates in this same fashion.
A jeweler cut the diamond into three pieces, claiming to have broken the famous curse.
The Koh-i-Noor:
This colorless 186-carat diamond has a brutal history because it was fought over by rulers all across the world–India, Persia, Afghanistan, and so on. Some say the diamond was a gift to earth from the sun god. It’s believed that whoever has ownership of the gemstone also rules the world, but that person will also experience great misfortune and death. Interestingly, it’s believed the diamond’s curse only affects men.
Today, the stone rests on the Queen’s coronation crown and is displayed in the Tower of London.
The Delhi Sapphire:
This beautiful amethyst was stolen from the temple in Indra by a British soldier. From the moment he stole the diamond, bad luck followed. He gave the diamond away to a scientist, John Heron-Allen, who also experienced a great deal of misfortune. He even tried giving the diamond away himself but failed. As a last resort, John threw it into Regent’s Canal in London. To his surprise, the diamond was returned to him by a jeweler only a few months later. From that point, it remained locked up until John Heron-Allen’s death.
Today, the Delhi Sapphire is on display in the London Natural History Museum.
The Sancy Diamond:
The Sancy Diamond is 55.23 carats and pale yellow in color. Like many of the previous stories, this one also involves a stolen jewel. This diamond was stolen from India by a French soldier, who in turn, sold the diamond to King James I of England, who eventually sold it to the French royal family because he needed the money.
Three of the owners–Charles the Bold, Charles I, and Louis XVI–met horrible deaths after taking possession of the diamond. Even the servant delivering the diamond to King James had an awful and untimely death. He was attacked by robbers, swallowed the diamond to keep it safe, and then murdered.
The Regent Diamond:
This 140.64-carat blue diamond decorated Napoleon’s sword. It was originally stolen from India by a slave, who hid it in an open wound on his leg. Unfortunately for the slave, the captain of the ship he was on found out about the stone and murdered the slave. He sold the stone, and it was handed down from generation to generation within the French royal family.
The Regent Diamond now sits displayed at the Louvre.
Lore & Curiosities 