Hope Adventures of a Diamond

The Hope Diamond -- the largest & most beautiful blue diamond ever found -- has inspired centuries of legends & lies, fabulous superstition, & fierce passion. Here is the riveting story of this mythical gem & the extraordinary men & women who have owned & lost it. It was unearthed in India sometime before the birth of Christ. For centuries, it served as the eye in a statue of a Hindu god. With the arrival of Europeans, the Diamond was snatched from the religious realm & thrust into the world of commerce. Dutch trader Philip Hope acquired it & brought it to England, but by the 20th cent. it was possessed by various Amer. millionaires. Diamond master Harry Winston finally donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in Wash., DC, where it is on display. Illus.Fowler, Marian is the author of 'Hope Adventures of a Diamond' with ISBN 9780756767044 and ISBN 0756767040.