The Hope Diamond

How much is the Hope Diamond worth

To ask how much the Hope Diamond is worth is akin to asking how much the Mona Lisa is worth. The answer in both cases is simple – it is priceless.

One of the most famous gems in the world, the Hope Diamond is a rare blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats. It is considered rare not only for its color and size, but also over its history, which dates back to 1642.

The history of the Hope Diamond

The hope diamond is believed to have been cut from a different famous diamond, the 112-carat blue Tavernier Diamond, named after the merchant who brought the diamond from India to Europe.

The original blue gem was cut into a diamond weighing 65.50 carats and sold, as befitting such a rare diamond, to King Louis XIV of France. The diamond disappeared during the French Revolution in 1789, but in 1830 a diamond with a similar color was sold to British banker Henry Phillip Hope – hence the eponymous.

The diamond was sold in 1911 to Evalyn Walsh McLean, the widow of Edward McLean, founder of the Washington Post. In 1949, after her death, the Hope Diamond was sold to world-famous jewelry designer Harry Winston, who in 1958 donated it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, where it is still on exhibit today.

So how much is the Hope Diamond worth?

If we look at the prices of rare blue diamonds that have been auctioned off in recent years, we will find that the price per carat ranges from $500,000 to $3 million. By this calculation, the Hope Diamond may be worth between $23 million and $136.5 million.

However, one must remember that this would be the price of the mere stone. How can one quantify the history and importance of the Hope Diamond? And, in case you were wondering – is it even up for sale? The Smithsonian Museum, which houses the Hope Diamond, says the blue diamond is absolutely not for sale.