History About the Hope Blue Diamond and Its Split

THE HOPE BLUE.

Models of Historic Gems in London--The Romance of Facts--Identification of the "Hope Blue" and the Famous French Stone--A Lovely Gem and a Notable Jewel.

There is at 18, New Bond Street a remarkable case containing a collection of the models of many of the great diamonds of the world, the histories of which are set forth in this volume. The facsimiles are cut in crystal and glass, and in regard to the tinted stones, the rare hues of the originals are suggested. In this very interesting collection, gathered together in spite of many difficulties, and with much careful research, will be found the story of the "Hope Blue," simply told in three parts (we had almost said in three volumes), that once formed one great and glorious gem. It would be a strange story, could it be told, the history of this cleavage, with the details of the several adventures of the triple gems, since the masterpiece was stolen from the Garde Meuble in the stormy times of 1792.

Failing the possibility of our entertaining the reader with such a narrative, we think it will be admitted that there is a certain amount of romance in the very logic of facts which has identified the divided gem, and for the purposes of history, at all events, re-united them. There is nothing to be added to Mr. Streeter's own account of his establishment of the "Hope Blue" as part of the famous Tavernier stone. It is, therefore, quite in order that we should quote the following interesting passage from Precious Stones and Gems.:--

"This stone (the 'French Blue') was, with the rest of the French regalia, seized in August, 1792, and deposited in the Garde Meuble. From this insecure place it was surreptitiously abstracted in September of the same year. What became of it remains a mystery. That it should have really been lost is incredible, and from the sudden appearance of a stone of similar character, the extraordinary rarity of which is acknowledged, I strongly incline towards the belief that it was Tavernier's re-cut, and so altered in form as to render its identification very difficult. This hypothesis, which I offer, receives additional possibility from the fact that a blue brilliant about the year 1830 was in the hands of Mr. Daniel Eliason, which stone came to light without a history, without any account being rendered as to whence it came, and what had been its travels and fortunes. Subsequently I trace it as the property of the late Mr. Henry Thomas Hope, under the name of the 'Hope' diamond. The difference in weight between the original stone of 67 1/2 carats, and this actual stone of 44 1/4, forces upon us the interrogation, 'Was the weight lost simply in the cutter's hands in manipulating the stone, or were one or more pieces removed by simple cleavage and preserved?' I incline to the latter alternative, viz.: that the diamond abstracted in 1792 was reduced by cleavage, and formed into two brilliants. This deduction is more probable, as Tavernier's diamond evidently had one of the crystallographic faces largely produced on the one side, which gave the stone a 'drop form.' This formation is frequently seen in diamonds, especially in coloured stones (excepting always the yellow varieties), leading us to infer that the cleavage plane must have run, as in the diagram, from A to B.

"In the first cutting of the stone the original shape was to some extent preserved, which left an ill-formed, triangular-shaped brilliant, somewhat thin on one side. From this it would have been easy for an expert to cleave a triangular piece of about 10 or 11 carats, thus leaving the stone weighing about 56 carats, the re-cutting of which, as a perfect brilliant, well-proportioned, would reduce it to its present weight of 44 1/4 carats. It is observable that the 'Hope' diamond' is even now straighter on one side than the other, and this strengthens the presumption of the stone having been cleaved as suggested. The late Emperor of the French ordered a model of the 'Blue' diamond in question to be made while it remained in the Paris Exhibition.

"It would confirm my hypothesis still further could the piece or pieces split off be discovered. The piece at first must have been triangular, having a straight side, corresponding with the side of the 'Hope' diamond, as described above. If then we find a blue diamond of drop shape, of the same colour precisely as the 'Hope,' having its base to correspond with the straight side of the latter, proportionate in substance, and weighing from 12 to 13 carats, we have a strong presumptive evidence that the smaller is a cleavage of the larger. Such a stone did actually come into the market in April, 1874. It was purchased in Geneva at the sale of the late Duke of Brunswick's jewels. The purchaser put the stone for a short time into my hands, and I examined it in juxtaposition with the 'Hope' diamond. It is identical in colour and quality. I know not how to avoid the conclusion that the Duke of Brunswick's 'Blue Drop' diamond once formed the triangular salient gibbosity which formerly appears to have characterized the stone now known as the 'Hope' brilliant. Besides the 'Hope' and Brunswick diamonds, there are only three diamonds known in Europe that can justly be termed 'blue,' and these all differ from the 'Hope,' and from each other in colour."

The "Hope" is a very lovely gem, of a most beautiful sapphire hue, with an adamantine lustre of extreme brilliancy. It was purchased by Mr. Hope for pound 18,000, and was considered by good judges to be worth a great deal more. Westrop (p. 4), values it at no less than 30,000 pound, probably not an excessive figure considering its absolutely unique character, faultless texture and exquisite form. It is unusually thick, and measures 7/8 of an inch in breadth, by 1 1/8 in length.