by Amanda Applebyinfo@amandaappleby.com3 Legendary Cursed Jewels and Their Stories
Who can resist a tale of murder, mystery and misfortune? Throw in a beautiful, priceless jewel believed to curse all those who posses it, and you have the makings of an Indiana Jones-style adventure film.
Throughout history there have been several jewels believed to bring hardship and death to their owners. The following gemstones may be exquisitely beautiful, but they have proved to be extremely dangerous to those who posses them:
The Hope Diamond
Mined in India in the seventeenth century, this exquisite 45.52 carat blue diamond is believed to be linked to the misfortune, suicide, murder and even torture of its owners.
While persistent rumours of a curse have been dismissed as fanciful publicity stunts, there are some who maintain that the Hope Diamond is hazardous to one's health. The stone, now set in a pendant, was donated to the Smithsonian by Harry Winston in 1958, where it is still housed.
The Black Orlov
Also known as the ''Eye of Brahma", this black diamond has its origins in India. It featured as the eye of a statue of the Hindu god Brahma before it was stolen by a monk. The theft is believed to have triggered a terrible curse.
Diamond dealer J.W. Paris took the stone to the USA in 1932, but soon after committed suicide by flinging himself from a skyscraper in New York City. Chillingly, two other owners of the Black Orlov, Russian princesses Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and Nadia Vygin-Orlov, also leaped to their deaths within a few weeks of each other.
Originally 195 carats, the stone has since been cut into three pieces in an attempt to break the curse.
The Delhi Purple Sapphire
The history of the Delhi Purple Sapphire, which is actually an amethyst, can also be traced back to India. It was supposedly looted from the temple of India during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. It was taken to England by a Bengal cavalryman, Colonel W. Ferris. His family was soon plagued by ill-health and financial misfortune. A friend of the family also committed suicide whilst in possession of this gem.
The stone's last owner was Edward Heron-Allen, a close friend of Oscar Wilde. Heron-Allen believed the jewel to be ''trebly accursed", and even attempted to get rid of it by throwing it into the Regent's Canal. It was returned to him several months later after it was found by a dredger.
Heron-Allen bequeathed the stone to the Natural History Museum in his will. The cursed object was sealed in a box and accompanied by a note advising the museum to "throw it into the sea."
Whether fact or fiction, these terrifying jewels' macabre history has become an important part of their allure and fame.