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Whatever Happened to the Infamous Hope Diamond?
by Karl Needan
http://www.flavadiamond.com
Evalyn Walsh MacLean was the last private owner of the Hope
Diamond. She died in 1947 at the age of 60, and she left
behind one of the most beautiful and well-known pieces of
jewelry known to man. This diamond had a tragic history
that appealed to the public and made headlines for many
years. It was a massive diamond of incredible
beauty and unimaginable value, but today is like any other
old lady, leading a rather uneventful existence.
As a result of its history and value, Ms. MacLean's staff
members didn't quite know what to do with the Hope Diamond
after her passing. Turning to the only person that they
could think of who happened to be a friend, as well as a
member of the legal community, they notified Frank Murphy,
an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and
long-time friend of the MacLeans.
Judge Murphysecured the jewels in the MacLean
collection, very quickly, as soon as he came to the house
the night Ms. MacLean died. He couldn't think of a safe
place to put the the diamond at twelve o'clock at night, so
he thought about it in the cab as he left. He decided to
ride in the cab until the banks opened in the morning.
Murphy approached a bank officer at the Riggs National Bank
that morning and requested that the entire collection be
deposited. When he gave bank officer the inventory of
what was in the sack, he didn't believe the Hope Diamond
was one of the items. So he asked for proof that it was the
Hope Diamond and when he saw for himself, he realized it
had to be. In addition, the fact that a judge of the United
States Supreme Court was the courier of this parcel, that
he had just picked it up at midnight from the MacClean
mansion, he became convinced that it most certainly must be
the famous Hope Diamond.
Riggs National Bank agreed to store the diamond, once they
accepted the responsibility of holding such an incomparable
gem. Murphy bought the gem himself, so its famous history
of intrigue continued, as since no one else seemed to
be interested in buying it. No one else seemed to want to
buy this rare gem, so he won with a sealed bid. It stayed
in his possession for several years, until Murphy donated
it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. The magic
history of the diamond continues in this story since Murphy
transported it to the museum via the U.S. Postal Service.
Any tourist who strolls into the Smithsonian in Washington,
D.C. today can view the beautiful Hope Diamond resting in
its case of velvet at the museum. This seems an ignoble end
for a gem with a history is steeped in insanity, greed,
corruption and tragedy. Poor Ms. MacClean even died an
untimely death at only 60 years of age. In addition, the
mail carrier who delivered the diamond to the Smithsonian
was in two car accidents at different times, both resulting
in serious injury. The great Hope Diamond continued
to hold its tragic power to the end.
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