Dazzling and Dangerous? Examining the History of the Exquisite Hope Diamond

Dazzling and Dangerous? Examining the History of the Exquisite Hope Diamond http://bit.ly/1Qc2vWE

The Hope Diamond is one of the most well-known diamonds in the world. This famous diamond has been on exhibition in the National Museum of Natural History (which is administered by the Smithsonian Institution), in Washington D.C., since 1958.

Nevertheless, the history of the Hope Diamond can be traced back several centuries, and a number of notable historical figures are involved in it. It is widely believed that the Hope Diamond is cursed, as bad luck has (supposedly) befallen a number of people who were connected to the diamond. A counter-claim also exists, which states that there is no evidence to support this popular belief, and that the curse was fabricated solely to arouse interest in the diamond.

The Rise of the Diamond The Hope Diamond is believed to have been formed deep beneath the earth’s surface, and was then carried upward by a volcanic eruption more than a billion years ago. Unlike ordinary diamonds, which are colorless, the Hope Diamond has a deep-blue color, as a result of trace amounts of an element known as boron within its crystal structure. Only one out of several hundred thousand diamonds have this deep-blue color. The diamond weighs 45.52 carats, and is the largest known deep-blue diamond.

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