The Hope Diamond: 13 Victims Of The Hope Diamond Curse
8. Wilhelm Fals
Wilhelm Fals was a jeweler who recut the diamond after the French Revolution, turning it from the Tavernier Blue into the Hope Diamond. He ended up living, though his son stole the diamond from him and then killed himself.
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9. Simon Maoncharides
Simon Maoncharides was a Greek merchant who owned the diamond sometime after Fals. According to reports, he ended up driving his car off of a cliff with his wife and child inside it.
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10. Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid was a Turkish sultan who owned the diamond in the early 1900s. His entire reign was plagued by misfortune, rebellions, and unsuccessful wars. Abroad, he was known as “Abdul the Damned.”
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11. Edward Beale McLean
Edward Beale McLean was the publisher and owner of the Washington Post, and the husband of D.C. socialite Evalyn McLean, an heiress. McLean bought the diamond from jewelry designer Pierre Cartier in 1911 with a fatality clause included in the deal. It stated that should any misfortune befall him, the diamond could be exchanged.
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12. Evalyn Walsh McLean
Edward McLean’s wife, Evalyn was the last private owner of the diamond. She quickly got rid of the Hope Diamond after the family’s newspaper went bankrupt and her daughter died of an overdose. Later, her grandson died in the Vietnam War, though McLean maintains she never believed in the curse.
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13. James Todd
James Todd was the mailman who delivered the diamond to the Smithsonian after it was sold to the institution by Harry Winston. Shortly after he finished the delivery, he crashed his truck, shattering his leg. He then got in another crash, injuring his head. Then, his house burned down. He is believed to be the final victim of the Hope Diamond curse.