United States
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The deep blue 45.5-carat Hope Diamond is seen by more than 6 million people each year, making it the single greatest attraction in the Smithsonian Institution – and possibly the most visited museum object in the world. But many visitors are even more intrigued by the mystery and famous "curse" surrounding the breathtaking stone. Here, Susanne Steinem Patch offers the diamond's complete history and painstakingly separates legend from known fact.
Patch traces the gem's probable origins in India, its sale to Louis XIV of France, and its subsequent roster of owners, including the colorful American socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. Documentary illustrations and historical drawings reveal the diamond's changing shape and mounts over the centuries, and gorgeous color photographs display its matchless beauty both unmounted and in the setting designed by Pierre Cartier about 1910.
