Diamond

Author: Wang Yamei / Editor-in-Chief: Zhang Huaying
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-08-01
Features: This book systematically discusses diamond culture and the market, the basic characteristics of diamonds, and the formation of diamonds. It focuses on introducing the methods of diamond identification, as well as the grading systems for diamonds both domestically and internationally. It incorporates the latest advancements since the 1990s regarding optimized treatment diamonds, synthetic diamond technology, and identification methods, and briefly introduces diamond trade and sales. The book contains approximately 300,000 words, with 160 illustrations, 42 tables, and 16 color plates. It is rich in content, up-to-date in information, well-structured, and visually engaging, combining systematicity, knowledge, science, and practicality. It can serve as a training textbook for jewelry and professionals and is also a valuable reference for jewelers engaged in diamond processing, identification, and commerce.
Excerpt:
IV. The Curse Diamond – The Hope
The Hope diamond weighs 45.52 carats and is oval-shaped, with an extremely rare deep blue hue. It faintly exudes a malevolent glow, possibly because of its mysterious and tragic history, which has always brought its owners inescapable misfortune. In 1642, the French explorer and jeweler Tavernier first acquired this massive diamond in southwestern India, weighing 112 carats, with an extremely rare deep blue color. Tavernier presented the diamond to King Louis XIV of France, who granted him a position and a substantial sum of money. However, misfortune soon followed. Tavernier’s wealth was squandered by his ungrateful son, leaving him penniless at the age of 80. Forced to seek new wealth in India once again, he was ultimately killed by wild dogs there. King Louis XIV ordered the blue diamond to be cut, reducing its weight to 69.03 carats. Yet, he only wore it once before dying of smallpox. The succeeding French King Louis XV became the new owner of the diamond. He vowed not to wear the deep blue diamond but lent it to his mistress to wear. As a result, she was executed during the French Revolution. The blue diamond then passed to King Louis XVI, whose queen frequently wore it, leading to their joint execution. The queen’s lover, Princess Lamberta, became the owner of this blue curse diamond. She likely met her end in the French Revolution as well, possibly due to wearing the ill-fated diamond. In 1792, the blue diamond was stolen from the French treasury. The fate of the thieves remains unknown, but it is known that the diamond was recut once, reducing its weight to 45.52 carats, and appeared in London’s jewelry market in 1830, where it was purchased by the banker Hope for 18,000 pounds. From then on, the blue diamond was known as the Hope. Since "Hope" also means hope in English, it was also named "The Hope." The banker Hope remained unmarried throughout his life and left the blue diamond to his grandson. The new owner later married an American actress named Josie, but soon after, young Hope went bankrupt, and Josie divorced him. Josie died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1940, destitute in her later years, often blaming the blue diamond—The Hope—for her inescapable misfortune. In 1906, young Hope was forced to sell The Hope to settle debts. Over the next two years, The Hope was sold multiple times. In 1908, it was purchased by Sultan Hamid II of Turkey for 400,000 U.S. dollars. It is said that the merchant handling the transaction perished in a car accident with his wife and children when they left home. In the Turkish court, the sultan awarded The Hope to his trusted advisor, Zebid. However, Zebid was later executed by the sultan. In 1911, the postmaster of Washington, D.C., Mr. McLean, acquired The Hope for 114,000 U.S. dollars and gifted it to his wife as a token of affection. Someone told Mrs. McLean that the diamond was cursed. She laughed it off and often wore it, accompanied by another diamond weighing 94.8 carats, known as "Eastern Star," to display her luxury and wealth. Yet, the year after she received The Hope, her son died in a car accident, her husband, Mr. McLean, passed away soon after, and her daughter died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Mrs. McLean died in 1947. The renowned American jeweler Winston purchased all her jewelry, becoming the new owner of The Hope. Winston flew across the Atlantic with this cursed diamond multiple times in different seasons, and nothing happened. Over the years, his family remained harmonious, and his business flourished. The superstition finally broke, and the curse ended. This beautiful blue diamond, The Hope, which had endured so much hardship and injustice, found its rightful home. Winston donated it as a gift to the nation, and it is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. From then on, it was no longer a symbol of displaying luxury and wealth or enhancing personal beauty but became a national treasure and a specimen for scientific research.
Section IV: The History of Diamond Discovery and Mining
India is one of the earliest countries to discover diamonds. Records show that diamonds were found there as early as 3,000 BCE. Around 2,000 years ago, the Golconda Kingdom, located in what is now Andhra Pradesh, India, mined diamonds on a large scale from the gravel beds of the Krishna River, Pennar River, and their tributaries. Legend has it that the first diamond in India was discovered by a slave in the riverbed’s sand and gravel. The diamond he found weighed about 136 carats. With nowhere to hide it, the slave placed the diamond inside his own cut-open leg. Later, his secret was discovered, and he was murdered. The murderer sold the diamond in England for 1,000 pounds. A few years later, the price had risen to 130,000 pounds after several hands. Eventually, the diamond passed into the hands of a French nobleman. This is how the world’s first diamond discovery came about. Until the mid-18th century, India was the world’s only diamond-producing region. Many of the world’s most famous historical diamonds originated from Golconda, India, including the Shah, the Mountain of Light, the Ocean of Light, the Regent, the Nassak, the Indian Pear, and the Hope. However, India’s diamond production was not substantial, and once other countries discovered diamonds, it faded into obscurity. In 1827, diamonds were first discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and subsequently in the Piauí state, where diamond-bearing gravel beds were found. Due to Brazil’s significantly larger output, it quickly replaced India as the world’s primary diamond-producing region at the time. This dominance lasted for 50 years. Brazil also produced some world-famous diamonds, such as the second-largest diamond in the world, the 1,680-carat Braganza, and the 726.6-carat President Wagash. Today, Brazil still produces diamonds, but the yield is very low, with an annual production of only 2.5 × 10^5 carats. In 1866, near Cape Town, about 60 km south of the Orange River, a young girl playing in the area picked up a shiny small stone. She brought the pebble home and showed it to her mother. One day, a hunter who often visited her house fell in love with the beautiful stone. The kind-hearted mother gave the pebble to the guest. Later, the hunter boasted to a business associate about his shiny stone. This associate, who had seen the world a bit, suspected the pebble might be a diamond and sent it to Cape Town for appraisal. To secure the diamond at the lowest possible price, the experts did not directly answer what the stone was. Later, the hunter received a letter from the British governor offering to buy the pebble for 500 pounds. At the time, 500 pounds was a considerable sum, and the hunter agreed to sell it. He did not forget the kindness and generosity of the girl’s mother and gave her half of the 500 pounds. This was the first diamond discovered in Africa, weighing 21.5 carats. Two years later, the hunter suddenly had an idea. He remembered a story he had once heard about a black sorcerer who had a shiny large stone and used it to cast spells for healing. The hunter thought this stone might be a diamond as well. He went to visit the sorcerer and quickly struck a mutually satisfactory deal. The hunter gave the sorcerer 500 sheep, 10 cows, and a horse, worth 250 pounds, in exchange for the sparkling stone. The sorcerer was not only amazed but also feared the hunter might regret the deal. He had no idea that the hunter would sell the massive diamond to the London-based Leibman company for a staggering 12,500 pounds. This diamond was the famous "Star of South Africa," weighing 83.5 carats. The discovery of the Star of South Africa shook the world and also the diamond fields of Kimberley, South Africa. A diamond rush followed. The local newspaper at the time described the scene: "Sailors left their ships docked in the harbor; soldiers abandoned their ranks; police released their prisoners and dropped their rifles; merchants abandoned their thriving businesses; clerks left their offices; and farmers allowed their herds to starve to death—all rushing to the banks of the Vaal and Orange rivers." Thousands of diamond diggers swarmed to Kimberley, digging recklessly everywhere. One man dug for hours without success and sat in the shade of a mud hut to smoke a cigarette. His foot kicked the dust, and a shiny diamond popped out. He then frantically scratched the walls and floor of the hut, finding many more diamonds. Another man discovered diamonds in a collapsed pigsty. The entire town of Kimberley went mad, with people tearing down houses in search of diamonds. Yet, no more diamonds were found. Someone else found dozens of small and large diamonds in a duck’s crop. As a result, all the chickens and ducks in Kimberley suffered. But no one else had that kind of luck. Diamonds seemed to be as elusive as shadows.