In our last blog, we discussed three of most cursed jewels, which included the world-famous Hope Diamond. Apparently, these famous gemstones aren’t the only jewels with a mysterious and tragic past. If you love a good story, sit back, grab some popcorn, and read about other cursed stones throughout the world.
The Black Orlov Diamond
Believed to have once been the eye of a Hindu statue of Brahma, legend has it that this diamond was stolen from a temple in Pondicherry, India. Many of this diamond’s owners have met dark fates.
In 1932, this diamond was brought to the US by J.W. Paris, who leaped to his death from a New York skyscraper. The following owners, the Russian princesses, Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and Leonila Galistine-Bariantinky, both killed themselves months later by jumping off buildings in Rome.
The Shah Diamond
Weighing over 88 carats, this large, crystal-clear diamond was covered by a variety of different Indian shahs. Discovered around 1450, three different shahs have battled over the ownership of this yellow diamond. Shah Jehan even ordered someone to inscribe “ruler of the world” into the diamond during his possession. However, Jehan lost the diamond when another Shah seized power.
In 1829, a Russian member of the diplomatic corps was murdered in India, and the Shah feared a violent Russian retribution. As an act of pacifism, he gifted the Shah diamond to the Kremlin.
The Lydian Hoard
If there’s one lesson to take away from the cursed jewelry we’ve discussed, it’s to never steal other people’s prized possessions. Ancient King Croesus buried an elaborate collection of plates, pots, jewelry and other golden items in a tomb of a princess. In 1965, looters discovered the treasure and stole over 150 different items. Legend has it that the looters experienced chronic illness, terrible luck and even death afterward.
The Krupp Diamond
Interestingly enough, this diamond was worn by famous jewel collector, Elizabeth Taylor. One of her most famous husbands, Richard Burton, loved to shower Taylor with expensive jewelry. In 1968, Burton purchased the infamous Krupp diamond, which was previously owned by Vera Krupp.
The Krupp family owned a munitions fortune that supplied the Nazis with weapons during World War II. Taylor herself loved wearing the diamond because she described herself as a “nice Jewish girl.” Surely, the Krupps would not have been pleased to sell their diamond to anyone of Jewish descent, so Taylor had the last laugh.
However, Taylor’s marriage to Burton was both passionate and tumultuous. In fact, they fell in love on the 1963 set of Cleopatra, while both were married to other people. After Burton and Taylor married in 1964, they divorced in 1974, only to remarry again in 1975. Their second union was short-lived, resulting in a divorce just one year later.
Which is more fascinating, cursed jewelry or Elizabeth Taylor’s marital history? If you have any jewelry with its own unique history, you can sell it to our diamond buyers at H. Moradi Jewelers. There’s no need to hang onto jewelry you don’t want, especially when you could replace it with something new. Contact our jewelry buyers in La Jolla today to get started.