UNITED STATE: LEGENDARY HOPE DIAMOND IS DISPLAYED IN NEW CASE AT THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Record ID: 338454

  • Title: UNITED STATE: LEGENDARY HOPE DIAMOND IS DISPLAYED IN NEW CASE AT THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
  • Date: 16th September 1997
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 16, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS EXTERIOR OF SMITHSONIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM 0.05 2. PAN GUARD WITH DIAMOND CASE 0.14 3. CLOSE-UP OF THE HOPE DIAMOND 0.24 4. PAN FROM PLAQUE TO DIAMOND 0.36 5. SV JEFF POST OF NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM SAYING: "WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE NICE
  • Embargoed: 1st October 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA4JKAP90VX5RW1R7ACFPV4U5PY
  • Story Text: INTRO: The legendary Hope Diamond is to be displayed in a new case at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington so that it can be viewed from all sides As part of a renovation of the Smithsonian's geology, gems and mineral exhibition, the Hope Diamond will be placed in a new vaulted case that permits viewing through 360 degrees.

    The history of the diamond is rich with legend, lore and superstition, but until now the 46-carat gem has been presented one-dimensionally in its vault at the Smithsonian, where it has been held since 1958.

    The institution's Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals is being reopened on Saturday (September 20) after the extensive renovation, with the Hope as a focal point.

    Curator Jeff Post said the new presentation would make the diamond "perform" and "come alive" for visitors.

    The diamond has long been associated with bad luck for its owners, who included Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV of France. It came into the hands of U.S. collector Harry Winston in 1949 and he donated it to the Smithsonian in 1958.

    Carolyn Brodie-Gelles of Harry Winston Incorporated said the diamond's value has appreciated rapidly in the past few decades.

    When Harry Winston was deciding how to get the gem to the museum in 1958, Brodie-Gelles said, he sent it by registered mail.

    In contrast, when it was taken to New York for cleaning in 1996, it was accompanied by guards with machine guns.


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