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The Hope Diamond is the world’s largest-known blue diamond, weighing 45.5 carat. According to a legend, this gem had been cursed and would bring bad luck to its owner.

<br>The Blue Diamond was discovered in India. After the Persian Army Governor offered it as a tribute to the King of Persia, he was killed by gangsters. In the end, the King himself was also punished by rebels.

Later, the diamond was shipped to France by a jeweller and sold to Louis XIV of France. The jeweller was then eaten by a wolf while he was travelling. Louis XIV of France also passed away due to an illness.  After that, Louis XVI of France of France and Marie Antoinette also owned the gem. They were eventually killed.

<center>![Hope_Diamond.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZv9AxcFUh3pjL6k7pTVTKJ6eG4zzfY2eW113Zdj3XFxG/Hope_Diamond.jpg)</center>
<center>[Photo source]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond)</center>

In 1830, the jewel was auctioned at a marketplace.  A banker by the name of Henry Philip Hope bought the diamond and named it the ‘Hope Diamond’. The curse was not broken even after it was given its new name.  Nine years later, Mr Henry Philip Hope wanted to give the diamond to his nephew.  His nephew seemed to have been cursed as well; he fell to his death during a horse race.  The diamond was then passed on to Henry Philip Hope’s grandson, Clinton Hope.  Clinton Hope later sold the diamond off when he went bankrupt.

A Russian aristocrat then bought this unfortunate diamond in 1908.  He could not escape the curse-his entire family was killed during the revolution. In that same year, an actress who once wore the Hope Diamond was killed by her lover. Later, the diamond was bought over by a jeweller known as Mr Chris. Then, it was sold to the Turkish Sultan –Abdulhamid II. On the night Mr Chris sold the diamond, the car that he and his family were on, fell off the cliff.  Everybody on the car was killed.  Abdulhamid II was also deposed during a rebellion later on.

Following that, the Hope Diamond was auctioned many time in the market place. However, many people knew about the curse so nobody dare to buy it.  The Successor of the Washington Post, Evalyn Walsh McLean, did not believe that the curse existed and wanted to buy the diamond. The year after that, the Washington Post went bankrupt and her son, Vinson, died in a car accident.  Her husband started to drink excessively due to stress and eventually died in a mental institution.  In 1946, Evalyn’s daughter died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Later, Evalyn contracted pneumonia and passed away too.

The last owner of the Hope Diamond was an American jeweler, Harry Winston.  Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the National Museum of Natural History, ending its cursed journey.

Does the curse of the Hope Diamond really existed? The gem which was brought misfortunes to peoples is currently displayed at the Smithsonian Museum and is the most popular exhibit there.
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