The Curse of the Sacred Stone

Visitors to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum would be drawn to the National Gem and Mineral collection. A blue diamond (on display) became a word of mouth. It was the only gem of its kind. The bluish hue was due to the amount of boron in that stone, but no one would care. The Hope Diamond was hard to resist, but it was cursed.

The history of the Hope Diamond dated back to the 16th century. It was believed to be stolen from a statue of a Hindu god in India. The natives were enraged, warning that death would come to those who possessed it. If the stories were to be believed, then many of its owners suffered misfortune and eventual demise. (King Louis XI and Marie Antoinette have it worst.)

Wilkie Collins was a prolific writer, but he would be most remembered for "The Moonstone". It was the only book that readers would recall. And nothing else. The Londoner was born on January 8, 1824. Nineteenth century became notable for the tales from the East. Many were tales about treasure beyond imagination. "The Moonstone" was an epistolary novel, a kind of narrative that would rely on diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings. Readers won't figure it out, though. It wouldn't matter to them.

See no evil

“We had our breakfasts - whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast.”

The Moonstone was named from Shiva, the Hindu god of the moon. The gem was a birthday gift to Rachel Verinder on her 18th birthday. She wore it during her birthday party, which caught the attention of the guests. She was unaware that the jugglers were Hindu priests, who were tasked to recover the stone. It was stolen later that evening.

Collins incorporated the legend surrounding the Hope Diamond. It wasn't the only known gem that brought back luck. The Englishman certainly looked into the history of the Orlov diamond, part of the collection of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. It had the shape of half of a chicken's egg, and it was believed to be originated from Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam in southeastern India. There were more cursed diamonds, but it didn't generate a lot of curiosity as the Hope Diamond (and the Orlov to a lesser extent).

"The Moonstone" could be a good detective novel. It also had adventure to offer. But the readers were fixed on the gem. Some joked that the recession afflicting America was due to the Hope Diamond. (Orlov, on the other part, played a part in the tumultuous history of the Russian monarchy.) Collins may not want it, but greed would bring out the worst out of people. It would make a good story.