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“希望之星”（因其主人亨利·菲利普·霍普的姓氏意为“希望”而得此译名）是世间罕有的蓝色钻石，几个世纪以来辗转于各大皇室贵族之手。据说拥有者都会被诅咒，不得善终。不管你是否相信诅咒之说，这颗传世名钻总会引起人们的无限遐想。这个诅咒是真的吗？希望之星魔力何在？为什么这样一颗钻石最终会成为博物馆的展品？请看—
This blue diamond is perhaps the most notorious[臭名远扬的] gem[宝石] in history. It has left behind it a trail of so many unlucky owners that it has been popularly supposed to be cursed.
Taken from the Forehead of an Idol
The legend is said to begin with a theft.
Several centuries ago, a man named Tavernier made a trip to India. There, he stole a large blue diamond from the forehead (or eye) of a statue of the Hindu[印度教的]
goddess. For this transgression[违背道德], Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia. This was the first horrible death attributed to[归因于] the curse.
How much of this is true? In 1642, a man by the name of Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French jeweler,
visited India and bought a 112carat blue diamond. (This diamond was much larger than the present weight of the Hope Diamond, because it has been cut down at least twice in the past three centuries.)
Tavernier continued to travel and arrived back in France in 1668. From Tavernier, Louis XIV bought the blue diamond as well as 44 large diamonds and 1,122 smaller diamonds. Tavernier was made a noble and died at the age of 84 in Russia.
In 1673, King Louis XIV decided to re-cut the
diamond. The newly cut gem was 67carats. Louis XIV named it the “Blue Diamond of the Crown,” and would often wear the diamond on a long ribbon around his neck.
In 1749, Louis XIV’s great-grandson, Louis XV, was king and ordered the crown jeweler to make a decoration for the Order of the Golden Fleece, using the blue diamond. The resulting decoration was extremely
ornate[华丽的] and large.
Stolen
When Louis XV died, his grandson, Louis XVI,
became king with Marie Antoinette注1 as his queen.
According to the legend, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded during the French Revolution because of the blue diamond’s curse.
Though it is true that Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded, it seems that it had much more to do with their extravagance[奢侈] and the French
Revolution than a curse on the diamond. Plus, these two royals were certainly not the only ones beheaded during the Reign of Terror注2.
During this period, the crown jewels[御宝], including the blue diamond, were stolen. Though most of them were soon recovered, the blue diamond was not.
The Hope Diamond
There is some evidence that the blue diamond appeared in London by 1813. No one is sure that the blue diamond in London was the same one stolen from the crown jewels, because the one in London was of a different cut. Yet, most people believe that someone
re-cut the French blue diamond in order to hide its
origin[由来]. This diamond was estimated[评估] at 44 carats.
By 1939, possibly earlier, the blue diamond was in the possession[拥有] of Henry Philip Hope, from whom the Hope Diamond has taken its name.
The Hope family is said to have been tainted[玷污（名誉）]
with the diamond’s curse. Some believe that the once-rich Hopes went bankrupt[破产] because of the Hope Diamond.
Is this true? Henry Philip Hope was one of the
heirs[继承人] of the banking firm Hope & Co. Henry Philip Hope became a collector of fine art and gems. Since he had never married, Henry Philip Hope left his estate[财产]
to his three nephews when he died in 1839. The Hope Diamond went to the oldest of the nephews, Henry
Thomas Hope.
The diamond was finally passed down to Henry Thomas Hope’s grandson Lord Francis Hope.
Because of gambling and high spending, Francis Hope requested from the court注3 for him to sell the Hope Diamond. His request was denied[拒绝]. After several appeals[上诉], he was finally granted permission to sell the diamond.
Three generations of Hopes went untainted by the curse. It was most likely Francis Hope’s gambling, rather than the curse, that caused his bankruptcy.
The Hope Diamond as a Good Luck Charm
It was Simon Frankel, an American jeweler, who bought the Hope Diamond in 1901 and who brought the diamond to the United States. The diamond changed hands several times during the next several years, ending with Pierre Cartier注4.
Pierre Cartier believed he had found a buyer in the rich Evalyn Walsh McLean. Evalyn first saw the Hope Diamond in 1910 while visiting Paris with her husband. Since Mrs. McLean had told Pierre Cartier that objects usually considered bad luck turned into good luck for her, Cartier made sure to emphasize[强调] the Hope Diamond’s negative[消极的] history. Yet, since Mrs. McLean did not like the diamond in its current mounting[座托], she didn’t buy it.
A few months later, Pierre Cartier arrived in the U.S. and asked Mrs. McLean to keep the Hope Diamond for the weekend. Having reset the Hope Diamond into a new mounting, Cartier hoped she would grow attached to[喜欢] it. He was right, and Evalyn McLean bought the Hope Diamond.
Susanne Patch, in her book on the Hope Diamond, wonders if perhaps Pierre Cartier didn’t start the concept of a curse. According to Patch’s research, the legend and concept of a curse attached to[与……有关] the diamond did not appear in print until the 20th century.
Though Evalyn McLean wore the Hope Diamond as a good luck charm, others saw the curse strike her too. McLean’s first born son died in a car accident when he was only nine. McLean suffered another major loss when her daughter committed suicide[自杀] at 25. Her husband was declared insane[精神病的] and died in 1941.
Whether this was part of a curse is hard to say, though it does seem like a lot for one person to suffer.
Though Evalyn McLean had wanted her jewelry to go to her grandchildren, her jewelry was put on sale in 1949, two years after her death, in order to settle her debts.
The Hope Diamond Donated
In 1949, New York jeweler Harry Winston purchased Evalyn’s collection and sent the Hope Diamond on a nine year goodwill tour around the United States to raise money for charity[慈善]. In 1958, Winston donated the gem to the Smithsonian Institution注5.
This blue diamond is perhaps the most notorious[臭名远扬的] gem[宝石] in history. It has left behind it a trail of so many unlucky owners that it has been popularly supposed to be cursed.
Taken from the Forehead of an Idol
The legend is said to begin with a theft.
Several centuries ago, a man named Tavernier made a trip to India. There, he stole a large blue diamond from the forehead (or eye) of a statue of the Hindu[印度教的]
goddess. For this transgression[违背道德], Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia. This was the first horrible death attributed to[归因于] the curse.
How much of this is true? In 1642, a man by the name of Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French jeweler,
visited India and bought a 112carat blue diamond. (This diamond was much larger than the present weight of the Hope Diamond, because it has been cut down at least twice in the past three centuries.)
Tavernier continued to travel and arrived back in France in 1668. From Tavernier, Louis XIV bought the blue diamond as well as 44 large diamonds and 1,122 smaller diamonds. Tavernier was made a noble and died at the age of 84 in Russia.
In 1673, King Louis XIV decided to re-cut the
diamond. The newly cut gem was 67carats. Louis XIV named it the “Blue Diamond of the Crown,” and would often wear the diamond on a long ribbon around his neck.
In 1749, Louis XIV’s great-grandson, Louis XV, was king and ordered the crown jeweler to make a decoration for the Order of the Golden Fleece, using the blue diamond. The resulting decoration was extremely
ornate[华丽的] and large.
Stolen
When Louis XV died, his grandson, Louis XVI,
became king with Marie Antoinette注1 as his queen.
According to the legend, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded during the French Revolution because of the blue diamond’s curse.
Though it is true that Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded, it seems that it had much more to do with their extravagance[奢侈] and the French
Revolution than a curse on the diamond. Plus, these two royals were certainly not the only ones beheaded during the Reign of Terror注2.
During this period, the crown jewels[御宝], including the blue diamond, were stolen. Though most of them were soon recovered, the blue diamond was not.
The Hope Diamond
There is some evidence that the blue diamond appeared in London by 1813. No one is sure that the blue diamond in London was the same one stolen from the crown jewels, because the one in London was of a different cut. Yet, most people believe that someone
re-cut the French blue diamond in order to hide its
origin[由来]. This diamond was estimated[评估] at 44 carats.
By 1939, possibly earlier, the blue diamond was in the possession[拥有] of Henry Philip Hope, from whom the Hope Diamond has taken its name.
The Hope family is said to have been tainted[玷污（名誉）]
with the diamond’s curse. Some believe that the once-rich Hopes went bankrupt[破产] because of the Hope Diamond.
Is this true? Henry Philip Hope was one of the
heirs[继承人] of the banking firm Hope & Co. Henry Philip Hope became a collector of fine art and gems. Since he had never married, Henry Philip Hope left his estate[财产]
to his three nephews when he died in 1839. The Hope Diamond went to the oldest of the nephews, Henry
Thomas Hope.
The diamond was finally passed down to Henry Thomas Hope’s grandson Lord Francis Hope.
Because of gambling and high spending, Francis Hope requested from the court注3 for him to sell the Hope Diamond. His request was denied[拒绝]. After several appeals[上诉], he was finally granted permission to sell the diamond.
Three generations of Hopes went untainted by the curse. It was most likely Francis Hope’s gambling, rather than the curse, that caused his bankruptcy.
The Hope Diamond as a Good Luck Charm
It was Simon Frankel, an American jeweler, who bought the Hope Diamond in 1901 and who brought the diamond to the United States. The diamond changed hands several times during the next several years, ending with Pierre Cartier注4.
Pierre Cartier believed he had found a buyer in the rich Evalyn Walsh McLean. Evalyn first saw the Hope Diamond in 1910 while visiting Paris with her husband. Since Mrs. McLean had told Pierre Cartier that objects usually considered bad luck turned into good luck for her, Cartier made sure to emphasize[强调] the Hope Diamond’s negative[消极的] history. Yet, since Mrs. McLean did not like the diamond in its current mounting[座托], she didn’t buy it.
A few months later, Pierre Cartier arrived in the U.S. and asked Mrs. McLean to keep the Hope Diamond for the weekend. Having reset the Hope Diamond into a new mounting, Cartier hoped she would grow attached to[喜欢] it. He was right, and Evalyn McLean bought the Hope Diamond.
Susanne Patch, in her book on the Hope Diamond, wonders if perhaps Pierre Cartier didn’t start the concept of a curse. According to Patch’s research, the legend and concept of a curse attached to[与……有关] the diamond did not appear in print until the 20th century.
Though Evalyn McLean wore the Hope Diamond as a good luck charm, others saw the curse strike her too. McLean’s first born son died in a car accident when he was only nine. McLean suffered another major loss when her daughter committed suicide[自杀] at 25. Her husband was declared insane[精神病的] and died in 1941.
Whether this was part of a curse is hard to say, though it does seem like a lot for one person to suffer.
Though Evalyn McLean had wanted her jewelry to go to her grandchildren, her jewelry was put on sale in 1949, two years after her death, in order to settle her debts.
The Hope Diamond Donated
In 1949, New York jeweler Harry Winston purchased Evalyn’s collection and sent the Hope Diamond on a nine year goodwill tour around the United States to raise money for charity[慈善]. In 1958, Winston donated the gem to the Smithsonian Institution注5.