Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem
by Richard Kurin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard KurinEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-05-09
ISBN: 0060873515
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
Book Reviews of Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem
Book Review: The Real Story of the Hope Diamond
Summary: 5 Stars
This wonderfully researched and lively account traces the story of the Hope Diamond and in the process debunks and dispels much of the misinformation surrounding the world's most famous gem.
The debunking begins on page one. Years ago I heard a story that Harry Winston shipped the Hope to the Smithsonian by regular mail in a plain brown paper wrapped package. It went by mail alright in a plain brown wrapper but it was insured for a million dollars.
Kurin begins his tale at the beginning by making his own journey to northwestern India to the fabled Kingdom of Golconda and the storied mines of Kollur. This is the mine mentioned by the famed 17th Century French gem merchant, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Tavernier, the man who sold the diamond to Louis XIV of France was famously silent about where he obtained the stone but he does mention Kollur as a source of colored diamonds and based on that single mention, most experts have deduced that Kollur was the source.
What did he find in Kollur? Snakes! After a difficult three day journey following Tavernier's route by car, snakes and very little else. There exists barely a trace of the old mines which were played out and abandoned in the 18th century. The presence of snakes together with a nearby mountain and bit of local folklore leads Kurin to speculate that perhaps, Kollur was the site of the original Valley of the Serpents mentioned by Marco Polo. A bit of a leap, perhaps, unlike Mogok, Kollur isn't a deep valley but the locals do have a two-headed bird god and that is something the Burmese contender lacks.
Kurin pulls together an interesting, if flawed, argument for India's Kollur as the source of the Hope. He points out that when Tavernier sold the stone to the Sun King, the Hope was barely fashioned, almost rough. From this he concludes that the stone was purchased at the mines.
His next conclusion is a bit more of a reach. With the meticulous attention to detail that he demonstrates throughout, Kurin discovered a short note by Tavernier on the original chart made up by the French gem merchant, describing number six of the best twenty stones Tavernier sold to the French monarch in 1668.
"C'est un autre diamante que j'achetais l'an 1653 a la mine de Coulour."
Taking this statement and the fact that there are no other stones immediately adjacent to that bit of text, the author speculates that the autre diamond, to which Tavernier refers, may be the blue and if so, Kurin concludes, it was purchased in 1653 at Kollur.
The question is; to which diamond does the note refer and was number six simply another diamond purchased or another diamond purchased at Kollur? The passage can be read either way. The note, as Kurin points out, was not next to the Hope which was number one on the list. To that I would add two additional points that pose certain difficulties in accepting Kurin's speculations: First, number six is a colorless diamond and both the stones, numbers five and seven, immediately adjacent to number six are also colorless and second; number six is shown as completely faceted even though, according to Tavernier's own words, it was originally purchased at the mines at Kollur. Fact is, any dealer worth his salt knows a bit about recutting. The real question is; why if Tavernier did hold on to the stone for fifteen years why didn't he recut it?
To the above I would add a further quibble. Tavernier was a dealer and speaking as a gem dealer I can state with some authority that our biggest thrill is the hunt. After the adrenalin rush of bagging a big, beautiful and expensive stone, a dealer's next thrill is selling that big beautiful expensive stone to obtain the capital to begin the hunt all over again. Would a dealer hang onto such a treasure for 15 years if he could have sold it? I doubt it.
Harry Winston and The Smithsonian:
The book is a great read. I discovered interesting facts and important information not previously available with each turn of the page. One particular favorite is the section in which the author reproduces the correspondence between Harry Winston, his lawyers, The Smithsonian, their lawyers and the IRS and its lawyers that detail the labyrinthine negotiations that resulted in Harry Winston's donation of the Hope Diamond to The Smithsonian. Winston was more than willing to donate the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian but he was also determined to receive its full value as a tax deduction.
Hope Diamond is the most authoritative account of the legendary blue gem published to date. It is also a great story packed with anecdotes detailing the machinations of the rich and shameless. Highly Recommended.
Richard W. Wise, G.G.
Author: Secrets Of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur's Guide To Precious GemstonesSecrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
Summary of Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem
Since its discovery in seventeenth?century India, the Hope diamond, a glimmering deep blue gem weighing over 45 carats, has been shrouded in mystery and steeped in intrigue. In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Richard Kurin goes beyond the speculation to reveal the truth behind a legendary stone.
Kurin, a cultural anthropologist, spent more than a decade on the trail of the legendary gem. But the 'curse' that surrounds it, which Kurin puts to rest once and for all, is only one small piece of a long and lustrous story that moves between ancient religion and modern magic, royal power and class rivalry, revenge and greed. Richly illustrated, Hope Diamond works in a grand historical tradition??depicting the specific to reveal the universal.
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