Ancient Mysteries - Curse of the Hope Diamond
It is the most famous and valuable gemstone in the world. It has been the plaything of kings and sultans. It has decorated the throats of heiresses and empresses. It is called the Hope Diamond and at 45 and a half carats it is the largest blue diamond in the world. They say the Hope Diamond is not only beautiful...but cursed. According to the legend it was stolen from the eye of a Hindu idol. But it came with a price: a curse that destroyed careers lives marriages and empires in its long journey through time. It was said to be the favorite jewel of Marie Antoinette. Could its curse have doomed her and her husband Louis XVI to the guillotine during the French Revolution? It is said to have brought generations of the wealthy Hope family to bankruptcy. One owner is said to have committed suicide. Another went mad. Another drowned. A wealthy Washington socialite lost her young son to a freak auto accident in the 1920s. Today the brilliant and unique stone sits in the Smithsonian Institution the property of the United States of America. Does it still  carry its infamous curse? Join us as we explore the bizarre legends and the even stranger facts behind THE CURSE OF THE HOPE DIAMOND.