The Curse of the Hope Diamond and How Diamonds Went from Sears Roebuck Catalogs to Becoming Today’s Rarest Rock

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Simply stated, the Hope Diamond is the world’s most famous diamond, and it's got some lore behind it. The blue gem is widely believed to be cursed, with stories of misfortune and tragedy befalling those who owned or simply touched it. The Smithsonian's Richard Kurin, author of Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem, tells the remarkable story of its history.