Diamond necklaces have been around for an eternity. Nothing connotes fortune, sophistication and beauty like a diamond pendant. There are millions of diamond necklaces to choose from, one more sparkling than the next, but no necklace makes a statement quite like the mother of all diamond pendants – The Hope Diamond.
To most, the Hope Diamond is known as the largest diamond in the world. This is, in fact, true, but the Hope Diamond has a real story behind its notorious status. It is a story that goes back several centuries, and part of the magic of this diamond lies within the journey it has taken over the last few hundred years.
The first form the Hope Diamond took was known as the Tavernier Blue Diamond. It was named after the French merchant and traveler, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who brought the 115 diamond back to Europe. It is a mystery where he actually found the diamond. In 1669, Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XVI for the equivalent of 147 kilograms of pure gold.
Around 8 years later, King Louis XVI had the diamond recut to a 67 1/8 carat stone, set in gold and ultimately suspended on a ribbon, making it a pendant he could wear around his neck. He called it the Blue Diamond of the Crown. Many years later, the stone was reset into a more elaborate pendant, and again, changed its name.
The Hope Diamond, while all theories of its existence are still unproven, is thought to have been cut from the Blue Diamond of the Crown that King Louis XVI made. Whether or not this story is true or not, the original diamond that the Hope Diamond came from has had quite a journey, and has gained a following and fame everywhere it went, and in every form it took.