Mystery of the Hope Diamond - Sunday!

From the Smithsonian Channel's website:

A TEMPORARY SETTING FOR A TIMELESS GEM

AMERICA VOTES

The Hope Diamond has been through many changes in its life.

It has traveled through the depths of the earth and around the world. It has been downsized by more than half its original size, stolen under cover of night and blamed for any number of tragedies. It has been passed around, passed down, re-set and ultimately immortalized on a pedestal in Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Now the museum is celebrating the Hope's 50th anniversary at the Smithsonian, in style, with an elegant new temporary setting.

The American people voted online for their favorite design, and the winner is the dazzling necklace called "Embracing Hope."

Top designers from Harry Winston, the firm that donated the Hope to the American people, gave their time and talent to celebrate the diamond and create a temporary modern setting. They've taken into account the gem's rich history and American symbolism to design a new setting that emphasizes the diamond's brilliant blue color and impressive size. The setting includes more than 300 baguette diamonds, totaling over 60 carats.

The Hope Diamond will of course return to its original setting after a period of time on public display in its 50th anniversary "party dress." While some believe the stone should always remain in its original setting, many see this as an opportunity to celebrate a gem often referred to as America's crown jewel.

The temporary setting will be on the display at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Don't miss this rare opportunity to view the Hope Diamond in a dazzling new light.

Check the website for viewer choices for a future setting for the Hope...haven't we already done this?

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.

Hope Diamond Anniversary Marks New Chapter...

Today marks a new chapter in the history of the famous diamond. The New York-based jeweler Harry Winston, the firm who donated the Hope to the museum, has drafted three new, modern settings for the stone. All three designs, exquisitely rendered by two of the firm’s top designers, illustrate the Hope enshrined in baguette diamonds.

The decision to reset the diamond came on the heels of the 50th anniversary of Harry Winston’s donation. “As we were thinking about the anniversary, we came up with a theme of giving the public a chance to see the diamond in a way they’ve never seen it before,” says Jeffrey Post, curator of gems at the National Museum of Natural History. “How often do you have a 50th? We needed to have a celebration.” The celebration, they decided, would be to display the Hope in a new way.

The museum announced today that just one of the three Harry Winston settings will be crafted. The Hope will be temporarily housed in the new setting and put on display this spring for a limited time, after which the setting will return to Harry Winston.

But which setting will be chosen? In an unusual move, museum officials say, the selection will be decided by the public, in a first-ever popular vote.

Between now and September 7, visitors will vote for one of the three designs through an online poll, hosted by the Smithsonian Channel, whose new documentary “Mystery of the Hope Diamond” is in production and due out next spring.

Alas, the new setting, unlike the diamond, isn’t forever. After a limited-time, the diamond will be returned to its original, historic setting. Even the team at Harry Winston can’t argue with that logic. “I think the setting is part of the heritage, it’s part of what the Hope diamond is today,” de Laage says.

Read more:http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/A-New-Chapter-in-the-Hope-Diamonds-History.html?c=y&page=2#ixzz0Oetev8SJ