I just finished reading a fantastic book that the Corcoran sent me about the Hope Diamond. The author, Richard Kurin, is an intellectual of the Smithsonian and has dedicated the past 10 years to piecing together the fractured history of this epic stone.
Needless to say the book was amazing! It was a real page turner and the history of the Hope Diamond is thrilling.
One owner was Evalyn Walsh McLean, a DC socialite who bought the diamond. Here is a picture of her with her son wearing the diamond. This is the kind of motherhood I can get on board with.
The Walsh-McLean family gave a lot of fantastic history to Washington DC including the famous Walsh-McLean house- now the Embassy of Indonesia.
The house in Dupont Circle was built in 1902 by Evalyn's father an Irish immigrant who made his fortune in Colorado gold. The house cost $850,000 to build then. What a beautiful beaux arts home- a great place to build a legacy.
6 comments:
Is her last name McLean connected to McLean, VA? I would love to read that book. Is my memory correct? Isn't the Hope Diamond cursed or something?
Yes- McLean VA is named after her husbands family. As for the curse- the book goes into that and chalks it up to nothing more then media creating a legend. I will def lend you the book!
i have always been disappointed by the actual size of the hope diamond.
The baby in the picture that Evalyn is holding is not her son, but her granddaughter, Mamie Spears Reynolds
After reading the comments, I have to say , Evalyn Walsh McLean was a incredible lady who had a heart of gold and had a family who loved people, pets and helping others in their lives. The book to get to know more about her life is called, Queen of Diamonds. GREAT book with lots and lots of pictures. My only wish for Evalyn is, I wish the would be a movie about her life. Because we could learn from her and her strength with the Hope Diamond.
Thank and enjoy the book
Www.fable-hdc.com
thanks - I HOPE to find this book.
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