The Curse of the Hope Diamond - Nobody Wants to Claim Ownership

The most famous cursed diamond in the world, the Hope Diamond, (there are others)
It's also known as the "Le Bijou du Roi" or the "King's Jewel", bringing tragedy and misfortune to anyone who wears or owns it. Of course it's only a legend, the story goes, because it was stolen from the statue of the single eyed goddess Sita, wife of Rama, the 7th Avatar of Vishnu.The curse is similar to the "Curse of Tutankhamun" during the Victorian era, instigated to raise the price.

There has been no proof that it is cursed but here is a list of people that have succumbed to the Hope Diamond Curse:

• A man named Jacques Colet bought the Hope from Simon Frankel and committed suicide soon after.
• Prince Ivan Kanitovski bought it from Colet but was soon killed by Russian revolutionists.
• Kanitovski loaned it to Mile Ladue who was murdered by her sweetheart.
• Simon Mencharidwa sold it to a Turkish sultan who threw himself off a cliff, along with his wife and kid.
• The Sultan Hamid gave it to a servant to polish, instead he tortured and imprisoned him.
• Kulub Bey was hanged by a mob in Turkey.
• Hehver Agha was hanged for owning it.
• Tavemier who originally brought the stone from India to Paris got torn to pieces by wild dogs on the streets of Constantinople.
• King Louis gave it to Madame de Montespan but later he left her.
• Nicholas Fouquet, borrowed it, but was disgraced and died in prison.
• Princess de Lamballe was torn to pieces by a French mob.
• The jeweler who cut the diamond, died a broken man.
• William Fals' son Hendrik stole it from his father then later committed suicide.
• After Hendrik it was sold to Francis Deaulieu who died in misery and want.

There have been many more, not only owners but people loosely related to the diamond. We probably won't see the end of it. Of course, no one can verify it was the Hope Diamond curse that has brought so much misfortune.

Today the Hope Diamond is lying in a cabinet down in the basement of the Smithsonian Institute. Nobody wants to claim ownership, eh? Who would?