description was a triangular brilliant weighing about 68 carats.
In
an inventory of the French crown jewels made in 1791 "a fine light-blue
diamond weighing 67-1/2 carats" is listed. It was stolen (see Sancy)
with the other crown jewels from the Garde Meuble (the Royal Treasury)
in Paris in 1793 during the French Revolution.
Of
course, so well-known a diamond of such a rare color could not easily
be sold intact in any market in Europe without positive detection.
Recutting would be the only resort of the thief. Evidently this course
was followed and the diamond was cleaved, for in 1830 an extraordinary
44-1/4 carat blue gem came into the market. David Eliason was the
dealer, a man well known as an expert on jewels. This jewel passed into
the hands of Henry Thomas Hope for the sum of $90,000—a small sum when
we realize that it is a stone which could not be duplicated in color
and size. Indeed, few other blue diamonds of notable size are known.
Other famous blue gems are the 13-3/4-carat Brunswick and the 40-carat
Wittlesbach diamond, which was offered for sale at Christie's in London
in 1930.
The
Hope family owned the 44-carat blue gem for a number of years and from
them it took the name which it bears. In 1851 the Hope diamond was
shown at the great exposition in London. In 1867 it was sold at
Christie's, along with the other gems of the Hope collection.
In
1908 the diamond was acquired by Habib Bey at a price reported to be
about $400,000. In 1909 it was again on the market. A dealer in Paris
by the name of Rosenau bought it at auction for about $80,000.
The last sale of this famous gem was to Edward B. McLean of Washington in 1911, the sale price in this case being $300,000. In 1938 Mrs. McLean was still in possession
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