Hope Diamond United States 1902

Accounts vary about what happened  to the diamond during the years 1902-1907, one account suggested that it suggested that it lay in the Frankel safe during these years while the Jewelers took it out periodically to show it to wealthy Americans a rival account probably invented to help add mystery to the Hope Diamond  story, suggested that some in The New York Times of several owners of the gem, perhaps who had bought it from Frankel and owned it but apparently sold it back to Frakel. There were reports in one story in The New York Times of several owners of the gem, perhaps who had bought it from Frankel and owned it temporarily who met with ill-fortune, but this report conflicts with the more likely possibility that the gem remained in the hands of the Frankel Jewelry firm during these years. Like many Jewelry firms, the Frankel business ran into financial difficulties during the depression of 1907 and referred to the gem as the "hoodoo diamond."

In 1908, Frankel sold the diamond for 400,000$ to a Salomon or Selim Habib, a wealthy Turkish diamond collector, reportedly in behalf of Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey, However on June 24, 1909, the stone was included in an auction of Habib's assets to settle his own debts, and the auction catalog explicitly stated that the Hope Diamond was one of only two gems in the collection which had never been owned by the Sultan. A contrary report, however, suggested that Sultan Hamind did own the gem but ordered Habib to sell it when his throne "began to totter". Habib reportedly sold the stone in Paris in 1909 for 80,000$. The Parisian Jewel Merchant Simon Rosenau boughtthe Hope Diamond for 400,000 francs and resold it in 1910 to Pierre Cartier for 550,000 francs. it was offered for 150,000$. according to one report.

Pierre Cartier tried to sell the Hope Diamond to Washington D.C. socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean and her husband in 1910. Cartier was a consummate salesman who used an understand presentation to entice Mrs. McLean. He described the gem's illustrious history to her while keeping it concealed underneath special wrapping paper. The suspense worked. McLean became impatient to the point where she suddenly request to see the stone.  She recalled later that Cartied held before our eyes the Hope Diamond.
Nevertheless, she initially rejected the offer. Cartier had it reset. She found the stone much more appealing in this new modern style.There were conflicting reports about the sale in the New York Times, one account suggested that the young McLean couple had agreed to purchase the diamond, but after having learned about its unfortunate supposed history the couple had wanted to back out of the deal since they knew nothing of the history of misfortunes that have beset its various owners.