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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Hope Diamond...and the winner is!


Your votes have been tabulated and the winner is...drum roll please...Embracing Hope!

While the winning design is being crafted, the Hope Diamond will be displayed for the first time out of a setting. The diamond will be exhibited in the winning setting for a limited time at the National Museum of Natural History before being returned to it's historical setting.

The world's most famous diamond, the HOPE DIAMOND, will undergo a special re-design to honor the 50th Anniversary of its donation to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Given to the Institution as a "gift to the American people" by legendary American jeweler Harry Winston, the Smithsonian Institution and Smithsonian Channel(TM) is celebrating the diamond's legacy by inviting the American public to vote on a new design for the stunning 45.52-carat blue diamond.

The Hope Diamond will be put on display in its new setting at the National Museum of Natural History, and televised nationally as part of the world premiere of the Smithsonian Channel's "Mystery of the Hope Diamond" in March of 2010. The Hope Diamond will be returned to its permanent setting before the close of 2010.

The History: At 45.52 carats, the Hope is the largest deep blue diamond in the world. More than 50 years ago, jeweler to the stars, Harry Winston, purchased it from the estate of the deceased American socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. After touring the gem around the country as part of his famous Court of Jewels, Harry Winston donated the Hope to the Smithsonian Institution, sending it to Washington, D.C. through the U.S. postal service.

In the Smithsonian Institution's world-class gem collection -- which includes diamonds worn by Marie Antoinette, an immense emerald owned by the Turkish Sultan Abdual Hamid II, and some of the world's largest rubies and sapphires -- the Hope is the most famous jewel.

The Hope has many unique properties that have puzzled experts since its discovery, and its extraordinary history gave birth to the alleged curse -- that all who owned or touched it met great tragedy.

3 comments:

Ragemanchoo said...

Is the necklace finished yet? I haven't seen any photos of it yet.

AFlyOnTheWall said...

Good question - I know that they extended the time that the Hope sat "naked", apparently the public's voyeuristic tendencies include nude gemstones ;-p

I tried looking it up but can't find the finished piece. The original date was Spring 2010...I wonder if they will have it in it's new setting at the Tucson Gem Show?

AFlyOnTheWall said...

The Hope in it's new setting will be premiered in this Film - Just in from JCK:

To mark the 50th anniversary of the donation of the world's most famous diamond to the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Channel will premiere a one-hour special, Mystery of the Hope Diamond, on Sunday, November 21 at 8 p.m.

Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actress Kim Basinger will narrate the special. The film tells the definitive story of the gem, mixing history, science and legend. It features two exclusive events: the creation of new 21st century setting selected by the American people and an experiment to reveal the inner secrets of the diamond.

For more information and video clips of the film, go to www.smithsonianchannel.com/hope

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