Blue Diamond in United Kingdom:.
A Blue diamond with the same shape, size, and color as the Hope Diamond was recorded by John Francillon in the possession of the London diamond merchant Deniel Eliason in September 1812, the earliest point when the history of the Hope diamond can be definitively fixed, although a second less definitive report claims that the Hope Diamond's authentic history can only be traced back to 1830. The jewel was a massive blue stone of 45.54 carats and weighed 177 grains. It is often pointed out that this date was almost exactly twenty years the theft of the French Blue just as the statute of Limitations for the crime had taken effect. While the diamond had disappeared for two decades, there were questions whether this diamond now in Great Britain was exactly the same one as had belonged to the French Kings, but scientific investigation in 2008 confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the Hope Diamond and that owned by the kings of France were, indeed the same gemstone in the sense that the Hope Diamond had been cut from the French Blue.
There are conflicting about what happened to the diamond during these years. Eliason's diamond may have been acquired by King George IV of the United Kingdom, possibly through Caroline of Brunswick, however, there is no record of the ownership in the Royal Archives at Windsor, although some secondary evidence exists in the form of contemporary writings and artwork, and George IV tended to mix up the Crown property of contemporary writing and atwork and George IV tended to mix up the Crown property of the Crown Jewels with family heirlooms and his own personal property. A source at the Smithsonian suggested there were "several references" suggesting that king George had indeed, owned the diamond. After his death in 1830, it has been alleged that some of this mixed collection was stolen by Georges last mistress Lady Conyngham and some of his personal effects were discreetly liquidated to cover the many debts he had left behind him.
Another report states that the King's debts were son enormous that the diamond was probably sold through private channels. In either case, the blue diamond was not retained by the British royal family.
The stone was later reported to have been acquired by a rich London Banker named Thomas Hope, for either $65,000 or $90,000. It has been suggested that Eliason may have been a front for hope, acting not as a diamond merchant venturing money on his own account but rather as an agent to acquire the diamond for the banker. In 1839 the hope diamond appeared in a published catalog of the same Anglo-Dutch banking family. The stone was set in a fairly simple medallion surrounded by many smaller white diamonds which he sometime lent to Louisa de la Poer Beresford, the widow of his brother, Thomas Hope, for society balls. After falling into the ownership of the Hope family, the stone came to be known as the Hope Diamond.
Henry Philip Hope died in 1839, the same year as the publication of his collection catalog. His three nephews, the sons of Thomas and Louisa, fought in court for ten years over his inheritance, and ultimately the collection was split up. Tho oldest nephew, Henry Thomas Hope received eight of the most valuable gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was displayed in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and at the Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault. In 1861, Henry Thomas Hopes only child Henrietta, married Henrry Pehlham Clinton, Earl of Lincoln. When Hope died on December 4, 1862, his wife Anne Adele inherited the gem, but she feared that the profligate lifestyle of her son in law might cause him to sell the Hope properties. Upon Adele's death in 1884, the entire Hope estate including the Hope diamond, was entrusted to Henrietta youger sonn, Henry Francis Pelhm-Clinton on the condition that he add the name of Hope to his own surnames when he reached the age of legal majority. As Loard Francis Hope this grandson received his legacy in 1887. However, he had only a life interest in his inheritance meaning that he could not sell any part of it without court permission.
A Blue diamond with the same shape, size, and color as the Hope Diamond was recorded by John Francillon in the possession of the London diamond merchant Deniel Eliason in September 1812, the earliest point when the history of the Hope diamond can be definitively fixed, although a second less definitive report claims that the Hope Diamond's authentic history can only be traced back to 1830. The jewel was a massive blue stone of 45.54 carats and weighed 177 grains. It is often pointed out that this date was almost exactly twenty years the theft of the French Blue just as the statute of Limitations for the crime had taken effect. While the diamond had disappeared for two decades, there were questions whether this diamond now in Great Britain was exactly the same one as had belonged to the French Kings, but scientific investigation in 2008 confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the Hope Diamond and that owned by the kings of France were, indeed the same gemstone in the sense that the Hope Diamond had been cut from the French Blue.
Another report states that the King's debts were son enormous that the diamond was probably sold through private channels. In either case, the blue diamond was not retained by the British royal family.
The stone was later reported to have been acquired by a rich London Banker named Thomas Hope, for either $65,000 or $90,000. It has been suggested that Eliason may have been a front for hope, acting not as a diamond merchant venturing money on his own account but rather as an agent to acquire the diamond for the banker. In 1839 the hope diamond appeared in a published catalog of the same Anglo-Dutch banking family. The stone was set in a fairly simple medallion surrounded by many smaller white diamonds which he sometime lent to Louisa de la Poer Beresford, the widow of his brother, Thomas Hope, for society balls. After falling into the ownership of the Hope family, the stone came to be known as the Hope Diamond.
No comments:
Post a Comment