Jewelry is always precious and close to our hearts. But what if it becomes a nightmare for you. You must be thinking…. What am I talking about? Let me tell you, many famous ancient pieces of jewelry brought nothing but a bunch of bad luck. Let’s tour the mystery of the top 5 most cursed jewels in history.
The Delhi Purple Sapphire
If I were to steal a gem, I would at least bother to know the real name of the stone.
The spellbinding fact is that ‘The Delhi Purple Sapphire’ isn’t a sapphire but an amethyst. It is considered one of the most cursed jewels ever seen in history.
This captivating jewel first belonged to the temple of Indra (the God of war and weather in Hinduism) in Kanpur, India. The precious jewel was stolen by British soldiers during the Indian Revolt in 1857 in Kanpur and taken to England.
After being in so many hands, it finally made its way into the hands of writer and scientist Edward Heron-Allen in 1890. Fortune just turned its back on him from then. In 1904, Allen wrote a letter and described that the stone is accursed and haunting. He wrote a Hindu figure haunt him and his wife and wants the stone back.
He then threw the stone into the Regent’s Canal. But somehow, the stone made its way to him again. His friend, an opera singer, lost her voice after he gifted the stone to her. Allen’s daughter gave the stone to the museum. And till now, The Purple Sapphire is still in the National History Museum, London.
The Hope Diamond
Legend has it that whoever has touched and owned The Hope Diamond has been followed by misfortune. The beautiful hope diamond got its name after Henry Philip Hope, who once had possession of this diamond in 1839.
Though, many names are associated with the Hope diamond, such as Marie Antoinette, King Louis XVI, Jacques, Colet, Princess De Lamballe, Nicholas Fouquet, Evalyn Walsh McLean, etc. It is believed that all of these people died in very strange circumstances.
Among all the names, Evalyn Walsh McLean is one of the names who are believed to be affected by the curse of this diamond the most. In 1909, the stone came into the possession of jeweler Pierre Cartier. And misfortune knocked on McLean’s door after Pierre Cartier sold the gorgeous accursed hope diamond to her. She then encountered terrible incidents in her life. Her son died in a car crash, her husband cheated on her and ran off with someone else, her daughter died of an overdose of sleeping pills, and her newspaper business went insolvent.
The Black Prince’s Ruby
The story of The Black Prince’s Ruby is no less than a movie. The history of the stone is stained with blood. First of all, don’t be tricked by the name of this stone, just like Delhi Sapphire; Black Prince’s Ruby isn’t a ruby but a large red spinel weighing 170 carats. This is probably why this stone is called ‘The Great Imposter.’
The beautiful stone is embedded in the British crown. But before being in the hands of the British Kingdom, the stone first appeared in the 14th century. It was in the hands of Abu Said, the last Sultan of Granada.
During the conflict between Abu Said and King Pedro the Cruel, Abu Said called a peace meeting with King Pedro to stop the war. But King Pedro deceived and killed Abu Said along with his companions. The ruby (or the spinel) was taken by King Pedro. Soon after the confiscation of the ruby, King found himself in a war against his own brother and asked help from Edward of Woodstock (Also known as The Black Prince). In return, the ruby was taken by Edward as a price for helping Pedro in the war.
The curse of the stone hit Edward too. He got infected with some diseases and died after a prolonged suffering of 9 years. The stone and the curse were passed on to another British ruler, Henry V, who almost got killed in the battle of Agincourt.
Now, The Black Prince Ruby is in the Tower of London with other crowning jewels.
The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
You must have come across the name of Koh-I-Noor. Of course, Koh-I-Noor is one of the most precious gems in the world. Koh-I-Noor is thought to be mined from Kollur Mine, India. Nobody in history could keep the stone for very long because whoever owned the diamond, died.
It is believed that the Koh-I-Noor was cursed. The curse was that ‘only women can wear this stone, and if men wear it, they will come across an ill fate.’
If legends are to be believed, the Koh-I-Noor had been in the many Indian and Mughal emperors’ jewel collections. Shah Jahan (who built the Taj Mahal) was one of the Mughal emperors who bedecked his peacock throne with the Koh-I-Noor.
In 1849, the diamond was taken to England to present to Queen Victoria. The journey of Koh-I-Noor from India to England was full of trouble, such as the onboard members being infected with cholera, the ship encountering a strong storm, and leaving the diamond in a waistcoat pocket for 6 months. Eventually, Koh-I-Noor made its way to England.
Now, it is in the Tower of London with the other crowning jewels on display.
The Black Orlov Diamond
Initially, The Black Orlov Diamond was used as an eye of the Hindu God Brahma in a Brahma temple in Pondicherry, India. A monk stole the diamond from the temple, and misfortune came along with it. Later on, whoever owned the diamond eventually ended up dead viciously.
J.W. Paris, a diamond dealer who brought the precious diamond to the U.S., committed suicide. He jumped off to death from one of New York’s tallest buildings in 1932. The jewel later made its way to the hands of two Russian Princesses, Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and Nadia Vyegin-Orlov. The diamond got its name after the last name of Nadia Vyegin-Orlov. Both the princesses also leaped off a building in 1947.
The diamond went through the re-cutting process and was divided into three pieces to break the curse. Since then, the diamond has passed through the hands of many owners, and nothing unfortunate has been noticed yet.
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