photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
For more than 50 years the Hope diamond has been part of the collection at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. In fact, the diamond was donated by jeweler Harry Winston to the museum 53 years ago today.
The Hope Diamond By the Numbers
| 45.52 | current weight in carats |
| 112.1875 | original weight of the stone |
| 1× 7/8× 15/32 |
dimensions in inches (length by width by depth) |
| 1.1 billion |
approximate number of years ago the diamond was formed deep within the Earth |
| 17th |
century in which the diamond is thought to have been mined from a diamond deposit in India |
| 1668 |
year in which French merchant sold Jean Baptist Tavenier sold the diamond to Louis XIV of France |
| unknown |
number of owners of the diamond |
| 1949 |
year in which Harry Winston Inc purchased the Hope diamond |
| 1 million dollars |
amount of insurance Harry Winston put on the diamond when he sent it through certified mail to the Smithsonian. (Watch a video about how the diamond arrived at the institution.) |
| 4 |
number of times the Hope diamond has left the Smithsonian since it received the stone in 1958 |
Curse of the Hope Diamond?
The beheading of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI during the French Revolution. The tragic death of an heiress’ 9-year-old son. A family fortune squandered on a showgirl. All these have been blamed on the curse of the Hope diamond. Learn more about the stone’s owners and their fates. (Most of them actually faired quite well.)
Something old gets something new
A year ago, the Hope diamond got a new modern setting. Many of us are familiar with the setting in which the diamond is encircled by 16 other smaller (well, by comparison to the Hope diamond they are small!) diamonds and hangs from a necklace also adored with white diamonds. And two years ago the Smithsonian showed the stone without a setting for the first time in history.
Hope Diamond Lesson Plans
Make a classroom mineral display inspired by famous stones with this lesson plan from the Smithsonian.
From PBS, explore how legends embody cultural ideals through the legend of the Hope diamond.
Carbon makes the world go round—from stunning diamonds to human tissues, explore the elements of chemistry when carbon combines with this lesson plan from the Discovery Channel.
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