Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem.HOPE DIAMOND: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem RICHARD KURIN Long before the Hope Diamond arrived in 1958 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History For the museum in Manhattan, see . This article is about the museum in Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see National Museum of Natural History (disambiguation). The National Museum of Natural History , it was shrouded in legend. Indeed, many people believed that the famed diamond's alleged curse would bring tragedy to the United States. Kurin, director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife Folklife is an extension of, and often an alternate term for the subject of, folklore. The term gained usage in the United States in the 1960s from its use by such folklore scholars as Don Yoder and Warren Roberts, who wished to recognize that the study of folklore goes beyond oral and Cultural Heritage, discusses the science behind diamond formation as well as the properties that give the famous stone its unique blue color. The author also recounts the 45-carat-stone's rich history, which begins with it being smuggled smug·gle v. smug·gled, smug·gling, smug·gles v.tr. 1. To import or export without paying lawful customs charges or duties. 2. To bring in or take out illicitly or by stealth. out of India by the French merchant John Baptiste Tavernier in 1642. According to legend, Tavernier stole the diamond from the eye of a Hindu idol and was soon killed by a pack of dogs. Kurin dispels this myth and others surrounding the precious stone. He describes the long journey of the diamond from its place among the French crown jewels The French Crown Jewels were the crowns, orbs, diadems and jewels that were the symbol of royalty and which were worn by many Kings and Queens of France. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third French Republic. and its purchase by jeweler Pierre Cartier, who manufactured the story behind the diamond's "curse." Eventually, the jewel was acquired by New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of jeweler Harry Winston, who turned the diamond over to the Smithsonian. HarperCollins, 2005, 400 p., b&w photos and illus., $24.95. |
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