Cursed jewels, which brought misfortune owners

In the famous song: "Best Friends girls - are diamonds." At any time, not only the ladies, but men liked to adorn themselves with jewels, and they did not care where they get them. But sometimes ornaments brought to their owners not only joy, but also disaster. Some are skeptical about these claims, and even in other hands are afraid to take the "curse" jewelry.

1. Brilliant "Hope"

The blue diamond and Evelyn Walsh McLean - last its owner.

He was called the Hope Diamond, "French Blue", the French blue diamond and diamond "Hope". This is perhaps the most well-known unlucky decoration: almost everyone who he once wore, or mad, or died a terrible violent death.

According to legend, the blue diamond started its bloody history after having been stolen from the temple of the Indian deity of Sita. Stone was meant for worship, so own it alone does not allow anyone. A foreigner who commits a sacrilege, and stole the jewel, was torn to pieces by a pack of wild dogs. And that was only the beginning of the bloody way ...

Here are some of the people who once owned the stone: Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI (they cut off the head), the Princess de Lamballe (her to death beat the crowd), Jacques Kohl (suicide), Surbaya (her death stabbed lover, who presented her with a stone) and Simon Montaride (died in a road accident along with his family).

The last owner of the cursed jewels Evelyn McLean, who bought the diamond from Cartier in 1911, said it will deliver a stone from the curse. She arranged a party with a "find hope," while she hid the stone somewhere in the house, and the guests had to find his whereabouts. But, unfortunately, the diamond and here hurt their owners. McLean son died in an accident, the daughter died of an overdose, and her husband left her for another, and he died at the guest house.

Henry Winston sends a diamond "Hope" to the Smithsonian Institution.

He stopped the curse famous jewelery trader Henry Winston. He bought "Hope" in the past the owners and gave to the Smithsonian Institution. Now, nobody owns a diamond alone, so it's bloody history at this end. Since 1958, the blue diamond that is worth, according to experts, not less than a quarter billion dollars - an exhibit of the Museum of Natural History. During this time, he saw more than 100 million people. Epidemic of deaths was observed among them.

2. Black Orlov diamond

The stone, which is also called "The Eye of Brahma", was allegedly stolen from the statue of the Hindu god Brahma in Pondicherry. This explains the curse as well as a series of suicides that made its owners. This beautiful diamond in 1932 came to the United States. It brought John. Paris, who then jumped off a skyscraper. The owners of these two stone eagles and princesses Hope Leonilu Galitsyno-Bariatinski expect the same fate. Both women have committed suicide by jumping from the roofs of buildings.

In order to "break the curse", the stone was divided into three parts. The biggest part of it and has acquired well-known to this day the name of the square and faceting, while reducing up to 67, 5 carats. What happened to the other two parts, history is silent.

American jeweler Winston, the one that figured out the curse, "Hope", took a facet of "Blood Stone", and then insert the "Black Eagles" in a platinum necklace with other diamonds. This ornament is many times passed from hand to hand, and the last time it was sold at auction, "Sotheby's" in his hometown jeweler - New York City, and in 2006 a necklace put on the public nominated for "Oscar" actress Felicity Huffman (TV series "Desperate Housewives" ).

3. Damn purple amethyst from Delhi

Stone showed the public only 30 years ago, Peter Tandy, curator of the National History Museum in London. For a long time, amethyst was in the vaults of museums, protected by protective charms, and there was a warning in the box: "Whoever opened the box, read the warning, and then do what you want to stone. I would advise to throw a stone into the sea. "

Amethyst, according to legend, was stolen in the temple of Indra (India) in 1857 and brought to England. Over time, amethyst was at Edward Heron-Allen. The writer, being the person impressionable, tied all the misfortunes that happened to him, with the jewel. Heron-Allen gave Amethyst to your friends, but after a time they returned the gift back.

Edward Heron-Allen - writer, to which a stone was once returned.

Then, the writer threw the unfortunate amethyst in the channel, but three months later some stone miraculously discovered the oyster catcher, sold secondhand dealer, and he took it to the Museum of Natural History, where he worked for Edward Heron-Allen. Fearing the return of the stone, the writer put it into seven boxes and gave deposited in a bank, ordering that the parcel was opened only three years after the death of the owner.

Now pendant with amethyst is unfortunate that in the Museum of Natural History, and as long as the stone is no longer harm anyone.

4. Damn diamond earrings Meshcherskys

The family of princes Meshchersky from generation to generation by a large diamond earrings, and with them, and tribal legend, which states: "If this decoration will wear the wrong spouse, then it is necessary that something happens." Typically, this tradition did not tell outsiders.

But one of the princes could not resist and told the story to his friend - Alexander Pushkin. The poet believed in mysticism, so I asked a friend to give him time to these earrings. He fiercely jealous of his beloved wife, that he decided to experiment. However earrings "acted" on its own. They are not unmasked Natalia Goncharova, Pushkin, and "revenge" on her husband. A few days after she was wearing earrings, her life companion was wounded in a duel, and died from a fatal wound.

Natalia Goncharova.

Earrings back into the family. In the early twentieth century, Alexander Meschersky presented their new wife, Catherine Prokofyevna Podborski. Prince relatives were not happy with the marriage, and even predicted Catherine unhappiness because wearing vintage jewelry could only descendants Shira princes. Prediction came true: my husband is dead; lover Paolo threw, and not recognizing the illegitimate daughter; Society has turned its back. Next Revolution, persecution, hardship, and only many years later, Catherine decided to sell jewelry.

On the next owner fatal earrings is not known. It is possible that the decoration is still passed from hand to hand, killing or ruining their new owners.

5. Brooch king Croesus

The most famous treasures of King Croesus was the brooch in the form of a running horse.

As a rule, the ancient kings, hiding her jewels, imposed on them the curse. So it was with Lydian treasures that belonged to the king, Croesus, who ruled in the VI century BC. e. 150 relics discovered only in 1965. All seven, who took part in the excavations, suddenly died.

Somehow, all the owners shortly after the acquisition decorations tried to get rid of it. In 2006, the brooch was in the Turkish Museum, where was stolen. The kidnappers could not sell it, and seven years later they were on the threshold of the German Police and handed over the relic, saying she has brought them a lot of failures.

6. Marie-Antoinette necklace Fatal

Fatal Necklace (reconstruction) and suffered because of it, Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette "lucky" to damn decorations. Diamond "Hope" was not the only jewel that played a fatal role in its fate. It also necklace composed of enormous amounts of clean water diamonds. A lady - Jeanne Lamotte-Valois, posing as a trustee of Queen, fraud forced the then Cardinal redeem necklace ostensibly to Marie Antoinette. When no one paid bills, jewelers turned to the queen. And I was surprised to learn that she did not buy them. The trial began. As a result, the jewel back to its creators, the cardinal was expelled from the country, and cheats Jeanne publicly flogged, branded and sent to prison.

But the story does not end necklace. The trial provoked discontent in the country, as well as in France already being mature revolution, the Marie Antoinette was accused of waste and that she buys fabulously expensive jewelry when other citizens are starving. Ordinary people did not matter that the queen simply framed. They believed that once she got involved in the scandal, then, to blame. Thus began the French Revolution, as a result of which the crowned heads were sent to the scaffold ...

7. This ring which governs the world

This ring is likely to become the prototype of the famous Tolkien's One Ring, and has inspired the author to the creation of "The Hobbit".

In 1785, during field work a farmer in Hampshire accidentally found an ancient gold jewelry. Historians believe that it belonged to a Roman named Senitsianus. On the ring engraved with the inscription "Senitsianus, bless you the Lord." It is a very long time been in a private collection, while in 1930 has not been transferred to the museum fund.

Interestingly, in the beginning of the XIX century on the site of ancient Roman temple in Gloucestershire another ring, it was found also mentioning the name Senitsianusa. It was engraved an appeal to the god-patron of the temple Nodens with a request to return a ring stolen from a certain Senitsianusom Silvianusa and curse addressed to the thief. Him by a ring wanting more health problems. Phrase looks something like this: "God Nodens. Silvianus lost the ring ... those who wear the name Senitsianus, let not increase health or to shred until the ring returns to Nodens temple. " Archaeologists suggest that the ring was created in the IV century and contains a sign of the goddess Venus. J. R. R. Tolkien, who was professor of Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University, made several visits to the temple Nodens before "The Hobbit" started to write in 1929. And it is likely that the ring Senitsianusa the curse has become the prototype of the very One Ring, it's crazy owners. It is known that Tolkien was interested in the history of the emergence and significance of the inscription on the ring, found in the temple.

The ancient artifact has a diameter of 25 mm and weighs 12 grams. Most likely, it was worn on the arm, pulling directly on the glove. Visitors of the exhibition, which is now represented by an amazing decoration, offering guides to decide for themselves - whether it looks like on the One Ring. However, to determine the strength of its impact can not be, because to take over the museum exhibit is prohibited.