Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - The Hope Diamond

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - The Hope Diamond

The hope diamond is a giant 45.52 diamond carats and is deep blue in colour, which is rare (you don't see many engagement rings with a blue diamond centre stone!). The hope diamond is currently kept in Washington DC at the Smithsonian National History Museum. The boron in the Hope Diamond gives it a blue colour to the naked eye. However, under ultraviolet light it gives off a red phosphorescence. Legend tells that the Hope Diamond is cursed!

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - The Curse of the Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is long believed to have a curse attached to it. The hope diamond dates back to 1642 and is infamous for the ironic bad luck that the diamond gives its owner. It is believed to give misfortune to any one who wears or owns it. The legend of the curse, however, is believed to have been fabricated to increase its sales value.

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - The Hope Diamond - A Curse? Really?

If you search through the history of the owners you are bound to find stories of sickness and of bad things happening. In actual fact, if you think about it, bad things happen to everyone. It's just a fact of life, but many blame the 'curse of the hope diamond'. You could even track the ownership of anything – a necklace for example - and you would find a string of bad things that happened to people when they owned it! The idea of a curse does seem more exciting. Perhaps that's why the story of the curse is so well known. Not a surprise then that this 'cursed diamond' has not been set into any engagement rings!