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The Hope Diamond: The Stone Sent to the Smithsonian by Mail

The famous blue diamond's real history, the 1958 mailing, and where the curse story came from.

Quick answer

Is the Hope Diamond cursed?

The Hope Diamond, a 45.52-carat blue diamond at the Smithsonian, is famous for a supposed curse on its owners. Historians trace much of the curse legend to early 1900s newspaper stories and to jeweler Pierre Cartier, who sold it to socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. Its real history is documented: it was cut from a stone brought from India in the 1600s, owned by French kings, stolen in 1792, and mailed to the Smithsonian by Harry Winston in 1958.

Timeline

  1. 1668French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier sells a large blue diamond, bought in India, to King Louis XIV.
  2. 1792The French Blue is stolen during the French Revolution.
  3. 1839A large blue diamond appears in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, giving the stone its name.
  4. 1911Pierre Cartier sells the diamond to Evalyn Walsh McLean.
  5. November 10, 1958Harry Winston sends the diamond to the Smithsonian by registered mail. The package is now in the National Postal Museum.

What is documented, and what is not

On the record

  • The diamond was mailed to the Smithsonian in 1958 by registered first-class mail.
  • Its history through French royalty and later private owners is well documented.
  • Some owners suffered real tragedies, which fed the legend.

Disputed or unproven

  • The curse itself has no evidence beyond coincidence and storytelling.
  • Stories about the misfortunes of the mail carrier who delivered it circulate widely but are hard to verify.

Common questions

How was the Hope Diamond sent to the Smithsonian?

Harry Winston mailed it by registered first-class mail in a plain package in November 1958. The postage cost $2.44, plus insurance.

Where is the Hope Diamond now?

On display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

Who started the Hope Diamond curse story?

The legend grew from early 20th-century newspaper stories and was promoted by Pierre Cartier when he sold the diamond to Evalyn Walsh McLean.

Read the record yourself

Links go to official archives, museums, agencies and published research. Search links open the archive's own search for this topic.

THE FICTION BUILT ON THIS RECORD · FILE 053 · VOLUME IXThe Hope Diamond Came by Mail. The Mailman's Life Fell Apart.It is not cursed. It simply remembers every hand that ever wanted it.Read the first pages free →

Last reviewed 2026-10-13. This page covers the public record only. Archive files are dramatized and always marked as files.

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