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Worth is a relative measure, so it is difficult to assign a dollar value to the largest and "most perfect" blue diamond in the world. Some sources value the 45.52 carat rock at a quarter of a billion dollars ($250,000,000), while others quote a more conservative figure as low as $200,000. Much of the stone's value comes from its long and storied history beginning in India where it was said to have adorned a religious idol. A French merchant named Jean Baptiste Tavernier purchased the stone, and in turn, sold it to France's King Louis XIV. The king had the stone recut
and reset, and it remained in his possession until it was stolen during the French Revolution. The gem disappeared for many years before resurfacing in 1839 in the possession of one Henry Philip Hope. Hope, who lent his name to the jewel, purchased the diamond for $90,000. After his death, the diamond passed through a variety of hands before it was purchased by Pierre Cartier. In 1912, Cartier sold the stone to eccentric American heiress Evalyn McLean for $185,000. McLean owned the famous gem until her death (although she did hock the jewel frequently when she ran out of funds). Jeweler to the stars Harry Winston bought the Hope diamond from the McLean estate in 1949, and it toured the world for a number of years. Then in 1958, Winston donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institute, its present home. The jewel is often reported to bring bad luck to those who possess it. Cartier started the tale of the stone's curse in order to intrigue Evalyn McLean into purchasing the diamond. The various tragedies Evalyn encountered during her lifetime only fueled the superstition. Evalyn, however, held a more pragmatic view of the stone's power saying, "What tragedies have
befallen me might have occurred had I never seen or touched the Hope Diamond. My observations have persuaded me that tragedies, for anyone who lives, are not escapable."
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