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Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem
The true story behind the most famous-and infamous-stone in the world.
The Hope diamond is not only exceptionally beautiful it has a long and incredibly colorful history. That history - spread over three continents - features diamond mining in India, the French Revolution, the machinations of British King George IV, the Gilded Age in America and a number of very clever jewelers including Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston. In the 20th century, the myth of the Hope diamond curse made the diamond more notorious and famous than ever before, but it is only one small piece of a long and lustrous history.
Dr. Kurin, who is a cultural anthropologist, has spent over a decade on the trail of the Hope, from India, to France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and England. His narrative is filled with fascinating places and people - from the fabled diamond city of Golconda to the fabulously rich heiress Evalyn McLean to Jackie Kennedy and her pivotal role in one of the Hope's few 20th century trips abroad.
The Hope diamond is not only exceptionally beautiful it has a long and incredibly colorful history. That history - spread over three continents - features diamond mining in India, the French Revolution, the machinations of British King George IV, the Gilded Age in America and a number of very clever jewelers including Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston. In the 20th century, the myth of the Hope diamond curse made the diamond more notorious and famous than ever before, but it is only one small piece of a long and lustrous history.
Dr. Kurin, who is a cultural anthropologist, has spent over a decade on the trail of the Hope, from India, to France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and England. His narrative is filled with fascinating places and people - from the fabled diamond city of Golconda to the fabulously rich heiress Evalyn McLean to Jackie Kennedy and her pivotal role in one of the Hope's few 20th century trips abroad.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
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339 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 10, 2020
A disappointing read indeed.
The first five chapters & the last five chapters were informative.The mid-section was repetition leading to endless confusion.
Reading through the Hope Diamond Timeline towards the end gives more clarity.
I give a 2☆ rating as a good gesture to the Hope Diamond!
The first five chapters & the last five chapters were informative.The mid-section was repetition leading to endless confusion.
Reading through the Hope Diamond Timeline towards the end gives more clarity.
I give a 2☆ rating as a good gesture to the Hope Diamond!
February 1, 2018
Cursed or not cursed, that is the question. On one hand, cursed means more tourists coming to see, which means more money.
But cursed doesn't seem likely.
The Hope Diamond is one of the draws to Smithison Natural History museum. It forms part of a gem collection and is always surronded by people, most of whom just look at it because everyone else is. Or they think it is the biggest diamond in the world. (I like the mammal hall better myself, though there is something about the Hope. But don't forget the rocks that look like they have fur, they are so cool).
Kurin's book is as much a history of the Hope as you can get, and I hardly need to point out that he debunks the curse story (and he isn't the first). He does seem to take great glee, however, in relating stories from the modern era (ie when give to the museum) and the curse.
The tour starts with the proable sale of the diamond to a Frenchman who journeyed to India (blue diamonds weren't highly valued there at the time). Kurin not only relates about the valley where the Hope came from, he also relates how diamonds are formed. The book ends with the Hope in the recent Harry Winston Gallery. (Hey, you discover why Monroe mentioned Harry Winston).
The attraction of the book is the shear amount of detail that Kurin gets and the fact that not once does he sound boring (or bored). It seems he finds the Hope amazing, and this is transmitted to and infects the reader. In addition to the history of the gem itself, the reader is treated to detailed and fasinating look at how diamonds were viewed in Europe and how the diamond engagement ring got its start in the US.
The idea of the curse seems to have started around the time Cartier's gained the gem, just before they sold it to the McLeans, whose tragic and inspiring story forms part of the book and adds to the curse. I found Harry Winston, the last private owner of the diamond, to be the most fasinating figure, not just because of how he transported diamonds but because of his marriage, and the fact that his photo makes me seem to be a person who you would like to have a drink with. One of the best parts of the book relates Winston's attempt (and eventual success) to give the Diamond to the Smithison. It took awhile and was complicted by the IRS (another reason to hate them). Winston, thankfully, wanted people to love and respect gems the same way he did. Kurin actually includes letters from the parties in this section of the book as well as in the section where the French wanted to borrow the diamond.
Kurin includes a list of infromation that he would like to find more about, like for instnace did the Cartiers know Collins The Moonstone and did that lead to the curse.
In debunking the curse, Kurin presents a far more interesting, gripping, and intelligent story. Even better than the curse because it's true.
But cursed doesn't seem likely.
The Hope Diamond is one of the draws to Smithison Natural History museum. It forms part of a gem collection and is always surronded by people, most of whom just look at it because everyone else is. Or they think it is the biggest diamond in the world. (I like the mammal hall better myself, though there is something about the Hope. But don't forget the rocks that look like they have fur, they are so cool).
Kurin's book is as much a history of the Hope as you can get, and I hardly need to point out that he debunks the curse story (and he isn't the first). He does seem to take great glee, however, in relating stories from the modern era (ie when give to the museum) and the curse.
The tour starts with the proable sale of the diamond to a Frenchman who journeyed to India (blue diamonds weren't highly valued there at the time). Kurin not only relates about the valley where the Hope came from, he also relates how diamonds are formed. The book ends with the Hope in the recent Harry Winston Gallery. (Hey, you discover why Monroe mentioned Harry Winston).
The attraction of the book is the shear amount of detail that Kurin gets and the fact that not once does he sound boring (or bored). It seems he finds the Hope amazing, and this is transmitted to and infects the reader. In addition to the history of the gem itself, the reader is treated to detailed and fasinating look at how diamonds were viewed in Europe and how the diamond engagement ring got its start in the US.
The idea of the curse seems to have started around the time Cartier's gained the gem, just before they sold it to the McLeans, whose tragic and inspiring story forms part of the book and adds to the curse. I found Harry Winston, the last private owner of the diamond, to be the most fasinating figure, not just because of how he transported diamonds but because of his marriage, and the fact that his photo makes me seem to be a person who you would like to have a drink with. One of the best parts of the book relates Winston's attempt (and eventual success) to give the Diamond to the Smithison. It took awhile and was complicted by the IRS (another reason to hate them). Winston, thankfully, wanted people to love and respect gems the same way he did. Kurin actually includes letters from the parties in this section of the book as well as in the section where the French wanted to borrow the diamond.
Kurin includes a list of infromation that he would like to find more about, like for instnace did the Cartiers know Collins The Moonstone and did that lead to the curse.
In debunking the curse, Kurin presents a far more interesting, gripping, and intelligent story. Even better than the curse because it's true.
January 12, 2025
The history of the Hope Diamond - did it bring bad luck?
April 17, 2021
Interesting.
January 9, 2008
I was starting to feel a little cursed myself while reading this book, since every time I tried to pick it up life would interfere. But alas, I and the book have prevailed and the reading is complete.
Kurin not only captures every bit of history surrounding the Hope diamond, but the mining, trading, and cutting associated with diamonds in general. I found myself, more than once, trapping anyone around me and making them listen as I read a passage or two. I had to laugh when Kurin talks about the conversations overheard at the Smithsonian when folks go into to see the Hope. Because when I finally saw it I remember that I thought, "Gee, it's a lot of hoopla for something so small".
Since I don't know a lot of French history, the sections devoted to the French Revolution and the theft from the Royal warehouse made for fascinating reading.
Kurin not only captures every bit of history surrounding the Hope diamond, but the mining, trading, and cutting associated with diamonds in general. I found myself, more than once, trapping anyone around me and making them listen as I read a passage or two. I had to laugh when Kurin talks about the conversations overheard at the Smithsonian when folks go into to see the Hope. Because when I finally saw it I remember that I thought, "Gee, it's a lot of hoopla for something so small".
Since I don't know a lot of French history, the sections devoted to the French Revolution and the theft from the Royal warehouse made for fascinating reading.
February 9, 2009
This book wound up being utterly fascinating. Kurin tracks the diamond back through its recorded history, from the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. Along the way, he provides details on diamond mining, composition and cutting as well as Indian and European politics and history. The 'curse' of the Hope diamond turns out to be so much nonsense, but the reality makes for a much better tale.
February 2, 2015
Very interesting look at the history of one of the most famous diamonds in the world. I would've liked more photos, particular in color, and of the other gemstones mentioned throughout the text, but thankfully we have Google and Wikipedia for that now. Fascinating for anyone interested in the story behind the stone.
August 5, 2009
Fascinating book about the Hope Diamond. The cool things is that by following the Hope Daimond, you have an opportunity to follow history-all wrapped around something as intriguing as the lore and legend surround this famous gem, which now resides in the Smithsonian Gem Museum. Great read!
August 16, 2018
It's a testament to the author's research abilities and how fascinating the actual history of the gem is that Richard Kurin can start his Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem by calling bullshit on that whole cursed thing and then still hold a reader's attention for 300+ pages.
Kurin, a cultural anthropologist and director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, opens his prologue with the day that grand institution took possession of the Hope Diamond - in defiance of much public concern that doing so would curse the nation - before touching briefly on the 1910 sales pitch by Pierre Cartier that gave the diamond its reputation and then beginning a few hundred pages of debunking by going back to the jewel's origins in the Indian mines of Golconda. As he follows the diamond from hand to hand, generation to generation, and continent to continent, the scope of its story requires the author to provide pocket histories of the French Revolution, George IV's marital strife, and fashion.
Kurin is at his best when he's knee-deep in his excellent research, introducing us to characters like 17th century gem merchant and all-around badass Jean-Baptiste Tavernier or offering careful speculation on just where the diamond disappeared to for twenty years after its theft from a Paris warehouse 1792. The closer he gets to home, however, the weaker his narrative gets, and later chapters bog down in a painfully meticulous detailing of correspondence and tax implications of the diamond's donation to the museum, all of which is probably really interesting to people who work at the Smithsonian but not so much to the rest of us.
I read this not long after Dalrymple and Anand's Koh-i-Noor, partly just to compare and contrast the authors' approaches on such a similar subject. While I'd definitely give all the style points to Koh-i-Noor (Dalrymple and Anand are much more engaging writers), Kurin avoids all the pitfalls of their book by picking a specific origin point for his story (when Tavernier acquires the gem) and avoiding playing favorites as he covers the major players (with the obvious and understandable exception of the Smithsonian). Overall, if you decide you just have to read the biography of a putative cursed diamond, I'd vote for the one by the guy secure enough in his story to include an entire table of the lifespans of Hope Diamond owners and associates that disproves the thing most people came to his book to hear about.
Kurin, a cultural anthropologist and director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, opens his prologue with the day that grand institution took possession of the Hope Diamond - in defiance of much public concern that doing so would curse the nation - before touching briefly on the 1910 sales pitch by Pierre Cartier that gave the diamond its reputation and then beginning a few hundred pages of debunking by going back to the jewel's origins in the Indian mines of Golconda. As he follows the diamond from hand to hand, generation to generation, and continent to continent, the scope of its story requires the author to provide pocket histories of the French Revolution, George IV's marital strife, and fashion.
Kurin is at his best when he's knee-deep in his excellent research, introducing us to characters like 17th century gem merchant and all-around badass Jean-Baptiste Tavernier or offering careful speculation on just where the diamond disappeared to for twenty years after its theft from a Paris warehouse 1792. The closer he gets to home, however, the weaker his narrative gets, and later chapters bog down in a painfully meticulous detailing of correspondence and tax implications of the diamond's donation to the museum, all of which is probably really interesting to people who work at the Smithsonian but not so much to the rest of us.
I read this not long after Dalrymple and Anand's Koh-i-Noor, partly just to compare and contrast the authors' approaches on such a similar subject. While I'd definitely give all the style points to Koh-i-Noor (Dalrymple and Anand are much more engaging writers), Kurin avoids all the pitfalls of their book by picking a specific origin point for his story (when Tavernier acquires the gem) and avoiding playing favorites as he covers the major players (with the obvious and understandable exception of the Smithsonian). Overall, if you decide you just have to read the biography of a putative cursed diamond, I'd vote for the one by the guy secure enough in his story to include an entire table of the lifespans of Hope Diamond owners and associates that disproves the thing most people came to his book to hear about.
December 20, 2020
Splendidly written and exquisitely researched. I would have give 5 stars except for the illustrations.
So much of the Hope's history relies on its appearance as it is cut and re-cut over the course of centuries, yet short shrift is given to the visuals in this otherwise stellar book. It would have been worth the cost to use color, full-page (or at least larger) pictures and it should have been absolutely mandatory to use high resolution instead of the blurry, tiny, marginalized, black-and-white bits that are tacked onto the edges of pages. A true aficionado of jewels like myself will end up tacking endless post-its to pages with inferior depictions and then spending hours searching online for better views.
The only critique of the writing is when it becomes more history of succession than a history of the diamond itself.
I do wish the Smithsonian would invest in another publication, and this time go the extra mile. Give as much attention to visuals as the author gave to researching and writing. Then, it would be a masterpiece.
So much of the Hope's history relies on its appearance as it is cut and re-cut over the course of centuries, yet short shrift is given to the visuals in this otherwise stellar book. It would have been worth the cost to use color, full-page (or at least larger) pictures and it should have been absolutely mandatory to use high resolution instead of the blurry, tiny, marginalized, black-and-white bits that are tacked onto the edges of pages. A true aficionado of jewels like myself will end up tacking endless post-its to pages with inferior depictions and then spending hours searching online for better views.
The only critique of the writing is when it becomes more history of succession than a history of the diamond itself.
I do wish the Smithsonian would invest in another publication, and this time go the extra mile. Give as much attention to visuals as the author gave to researching and writing. Then, it would be a masterpiece.
September 23, 2022
This book is an intensive, detailed history of what we know today as the Hope Diamond. I purchased this book to read after a June 2022 trip to Washington, DC where our family got to see the beautiful jewel at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The diamond is nothing less than spectacular to view in person and pictures cannot do it justice. The history of the diamond is interesting, intriguing, beguiling and many other things. I enjoyed the (painstaking) detail. Many times the book read to me more like a scientific treatise or academic text than a book for the general public. Perhaps, that's what the author intended. At times the author is a decent storyteller to tell all of the tales (truth and fiction) regarding the infamous diamond. Sometimes I scanned the details so I could get to the stories. At any rate, if you want to learn about the Hope Diamond, just about everything you would want to know (and what we don't currently know or aren't 100% sure about) is here in this book.
January 11, 2026
Complete and utter drivel.
The author makes so many mistakes, particularly in nomenclature, that the whole thing becomes suspect. Who is 'Lord Alfred Rothschild' for example? His understanding of titles, both British and Continental, is dreadful. His problem with going into the Hotel Bristol in Paris - who cares and how does that progress the story he is telling?
The whole thing could and should be condensed into one, short chapter.......and he has no undersatanding of the methods or reasoning behind Indian diamond mining, despite the fact that he actually went to Golcona itself. He is clearly not an historian, nor a story-teller or even a very proficient writer, sadly.
Please do read this, as you will then be inspired to find out more about the history of this very interesting gem.
The author makes so many mistakes, particularly in nomenclature, that the whole thing becomes suspect. Who is 'Lord Alfred Rothschild' for example? His understanding of titles, both British and Continental, is dreadful. His problem with going into the Hotel Bristol in Paris - who cares and how does that progress the story he is telling?
The whole thing could and should be condensed into one, short chapter.......and he has no undersatanding of the methods or reasoning behind Indian diamond mining, despite the fact that he actually went to Golcona itself. He is clearly not an historian, nor a story-teller or even a very proficient writer, sadly.
Please do read this, as you will then be inspired to find out more about the history of this very interesting gem.
May 18, 2019
A very well-written book that finds a good balance between scholarly exposition and action/adventure stories. There are just so many ways to consider such a unique and wonderful subject from scientific, cultural, historical, and folkloric perspectives just to name a few.
Some of the explanations and tangents are a little long-winded, but it's clear the author was simply striving to be as thorough as possible to minimize any doubts of the subject's biography and haziness of the far-reaching cultural and social impacts it has had since its unearthing in Golconda.
Read this book! See that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction.
Some of the explanations and tangents are a little long-winded, but it's clear the author was simply striving to be as thorough as possible to minimize any doubts of the subject's biography and haziness of the far-reaching cultural and social impacts it has had since its unearthing in Golconda.
Read this book! See that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction.
May 28, 2018
Full discloure: this was the boring book I kept on the nightstand to read to help me go to sleep when I had insomnia. It worked! So I gave this book several stars. For such a dry topic, though, the book was actually very well-researched and well-written. I learned a lot about the history of the Hope Diamond that I didn't know before, which will make me look really smart at dinner parties.
August 11, 2021
This was a book I randomly purchased as a teenager because I thought it sounded interesting, and yep, it is! If you are curious about the supernatural or the superstitions of people, this is a great book! Even as somewhat of a skeptic, I am also quite surprised at how much death and tragedy surrounds this beautiful gem!
October 26, 2021
Enjoyed the first part of last part a lot. It was very informative but the middle was strung out and muddled. However, there was nothing so bad it prevented me from reading. If you’re interested in such things I would recommend this read.
September 17, 2024
DNF
Dry, non- fiction with dates, dates and more dates. There was little to no mystery or intrigue to it. Read it for someone who is facilitating a YA Bookclub for 5-8 graders. I can’t imagine this holding that age group’s interest.. it certainly did not hold mine!
Dry, non- fiction with dates, dates and more dates. There was little to no mystery or intrigue to it. Read it for someone who is facilitating a YA Bookclub for 5-8 graders. I can’t imagine this holding that age group’s interest.. it certainly did not hold mine!
September 6, 2025
This is the rare, primarily academic book that is riveting. Kurin details the history of the Hope Diamond while interrogating the development of its legendary curse. It’s a great read and is doing some good cultural history in the process.
August 28, 2018
An interesting story of the history as well as the legends surrounding the Hope diamond.
October 2, 2018
Well researched. All it takes, is one book to learn everything about the Hope Diamond.
February 20, 2019
This book was very interesting and readable! I see the potential for an abridged version though, great research, but too many details for me.
June 20, 2019
It wasn’t as deep in places as I’m used to but it was still an enjoyable read.
July 23, 2022
I loved this beautiful novel. Such an intriguing story of a jewel.
October 31, 2023
I researched this book for Kurin
Read
December 11, 2024Good book, lots of history, very good “further reading” list
April 6, 2025
This book was meticulously researched and so interesting! Just wish the pictures could have been in color.
October 27, 2016
Good flow and has the details of the history of the diamond.
Read
August 6, 2013I picked this book up in the gift shop of the Smithsonian as something to read on my flight back to Milwaukee. To be fair, the Hope Diamond (and all things shiny for that matter), has always fascinated me, so I recognize this book might not appeal to everyone. However, this book is absolutely amazing. In the short flight (I think it’s 2 hours) I managed to finish this book and take a nap, though I am including airport waiting time as well. It just grabs you. Dr. Richard Kurin is the Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution and he knows his stuff. The book starts with the discovery of the blue diamond in the mines of Golconda in India and travels through history asserting that it was part of the French Crown Jewels, the “French Blue,” before it was cut into three and the main piece made its way into the Hope Diamond. Kurin also, of course, discusses the “curse.” All in all, it’s just a great history of a very famous object. (Kim - Reader's Services)
September 17, 2012
A book sponsored by & published by the Smithsonian itself, this is a truly fascinating look at the actual history of one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The author spent over 10 years in the researching of the diamond, & the places he went to learn these things I could only ever dream of being able to go... The Hope is supposed to be "cursed" by ill fortune to whoever wears it or comes in contact with it, but most of that has been disproved, since the authors even went to the trouble of compiling data on the lifespans of those throughout history who had custody of it in one way or another. it's a great story though, & just adds to the mystery & glamor of the jewel. If you've never been to DC to the Natural History Museum to see it in person, it's well worth the trip. Photos simply don't do it enough justice.
I'm VERY glad I stumbled across this book deep in the bowels of the biggest second hand book shop in Jacksonville :)
I'm VERY glad I stumbled across this book deep in the bowels of the biggest second hand book shop in Jacksonville :)
February 15, 2011
I purchased this book at the Smithsonian after seeing the Hope with my own eyes. I knew virtually nothing about the stone, including the legend of its curse, so this book seemed a perfect fit for my curiosity. Dr. Kurin does a magnificent job of detailing the history of this stone-from its origins to the technology used to cut and shape the stone. And while all this information is great from a research perspective, it did not make for the most interesting read. There are other books out there that managed to make history books read like fiction. This is not one of them. The quality of the information is great, but yawn inducing at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews