'Cursed' Hope diamond was cut from French stone, tests show

[emad]

The Independent
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
11 February 2005


Science has proved what has long been rumoured. The Hope diamond - purportedly cursed and decidedly splendid - was cut from another stone.

Experts in the United States have used computer models to show that the 45.52 carat diamond, once owned by King George IV, was cut from a larger diamond that had been in the possession of the French authorities and was known as the French Blue.

"The evidence very much supports the theory that it was cut from the French Blue diamond," said Jeffrey Post, the curator of gems and minerals at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

The history of the Hope diamond, believed to be the world's largest deep blue diamond, is full of twists.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=609893

[davidinalameda]

1. damn French

always trying to screw over good Americans

[slor]

2. So does the chimp want to...

invade France for this? I mean it is an "evil" stone and all.

[Squatch]

4. You do know it resides in the USA, right?

[slor]

5. You do know it was an attempt at humor, right?

However feeble an attempt it may have been. You see, this administration has insulted many of our traditional allies, with such childish names such as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", and wasted time to rename French fries to "freedom fries". All part of a new and insidious brand of American nationalism. So my joke is, that if the cursed and evil Hope diamond came from a larger French stone, our chimperor might just go unilateral again and invade France. Although, looking at the track record, no person should be surprised if they did actually attack.

[Bridget Burke]

6. You do know the "culprits" were French Revolutionaries, right?

If the diamond was property of French royalty, Shrub & family are probably angry at the political descendants of those who "stole" the original, larger stone.

Not that Bush is French, but his people probably get nervous when they hear the tumbrils rumbling down the street.

[Historic NY]

3. I watched the show last night and the steps they took to prove it

are very convincing. There was a lot of waste in the re-cutting.