gems, diamond, famous diamonds, India, Hope diamond, French blue diamond, Tavernier, Golconda, Chardin, Smithsonian, Sowerby

Our understanding of the history of the French Blue/Hope diamond between its 1792 theft from the French Crown Jewels and its appearance in Henry Philip Hope’s collection in 1839 remains fragmented, but recent research has filled in key details following its reemergence in London in 1812. A painting of the diamond by mineralogist James Sowerby has been identified, along with his accompanying notes, which served as the foundation for an advertising pamphlet issued by London jeweller Daniel Eliason. This pamphlet, published in both English and French, can now be confidently dated to 1813. Additional records reveal that Eliason and Sowerby either exhibited or planned to exhibit a blue glass model of the diamond at the Linnean Society in London. Multiple sources indicate that Henry Philip Hope likely acquired the diamond in 1821. Testimonies from 1840s court cases concerning the distribution of Hope’s gem collection after his 1839 death offer further insights, including the remarkable suggestion that in 1838 there was an attempt to sell the diamond back to the French Crown.