Other1 min read

Hope Diamond was mailed in a plain brown package for just $145 in 1958

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Harry Winston acquired the precious diamond in 1949 from the estate of Evalyn Walsh McLean before sending it to Washington via registered mail. The $145.29 postal fee secured the delivery and provided insurance coverage for the stone's then-estimated $1 million valuation. Now housed at the National Museum of Natural History, the gem rests in an elaborate Pierre Cartier mounting adorned with dozens of white diamonds.

Key points

  • Harry Winston relinquished the gemstone to the Smithsonian Institution to help found a na…: Harry Winston relinquished the gemstone to the Smithsonian Institution to help found a national gem collection.
  • A routine postal delivery successfully transported the million-dollar artifact between Ne…: A routine postal delivery successfully transported the million-dollar artifact between New York and Washington, D.C.
  • The historically recut diamond survived centuries of transfers and thefts, including disa…: The historically recut diamond survived centuries of transfers and thefts, including disappearance during the French Revolution.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A priceless gemstone travelling across the country in an ordinary-looking parcel might sound like the plot of a film. But that is precisely how one of the world's most famous diamonds reached the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Rather than arranging an elaborate security operation, American jeweller Harry Winston entrusted the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond to the US postal service, sending it from New York to Washington, DC, through registered mail. According to records from the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum and Smithsonian Institution Archives, the shipment cost $145.29, including insurance covering the diamond's estimated $1 million value. The package contained a gemstone with a history spanning centuries, royal ownership, extraordinary wealth and persistent rumours of a curse. Its unassuming brown-paper exterior offered little indication of what was inside.

From Indian mines to European royalty

The diamond's documented history can be traced to India, where it was discovered before 1668. It entered the French royal collection after being purchased by King Louis XIV. At the time, the stone weighed approximately 112 carats and was known as the French Blue.

During the French Revolution,…

Other

More in Other