HOW TO TRANSPORT A GEM

Public Domain from Wickimedia Commons

One of the most famous, if not the most famous, gems in the world is the 45.52 carat purplish-blue Hope Diamond. From the time of its cloudy origins in the 1600s (where it was then part of a larger diamond of about 112 carats) to its transfer in 1958 to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the diamond has been possessed by an assortment of thieves, decapitated royalty, unknown individuals, and rich people. Its history, or what is known of it, is available from the Smithsonian.

It is not an inexpensive stone. It is probably worth about $250 million today. It was donated to the Smithsonian by New York jeweler Harry Winston. Winston did not employ a cadre of armed guards and an armored truck to transport the jewel from New York to its new home in the museum. He merely put it in a box wrapped with brown paper and sent it by registered mail, although he did take the precaution of stamping the package "fragile" and insuring it for $1 million.

Rumors abound about the stone being cursed and inflicting horrible consequences on anyone who handles it. Many of these tales no doubt were inspired by the desire of its various owners to inflate its notoriety and consequently its value, although King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette probably would not gainsay their veracity. At any rate, the curse apparently ran out once the diamond was donated to the Smithsonian, as the Hope Diamond has been one of its star attractions for decades and has enticed many visitors to come to the museum.