In 1910, Pierre Cartier showed the Hope Diamond to a young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Edward B McLean, while they were visiting Paris. Evalyn McLean had a consuming passion for jewels, as she wrote in her biography: “they make me feel comfortable and even happy. The truth is, when I neglect to wear my jewels, astute members of my family call in doctors because it is a sign I’m becoming ill.”
Two years prior to being shown the Hope, while on a Honeymoon visit to Paris, Evalyn had purchased the 94.80 pear shaped Star of the East diamond. The McLeans first rejected the Hope, explaining they did not like the setting, but later that year Cartier showed the couple the diamond again, now reset in a simple diamond frame, and suspending from a collet set diamond chain necklace. Evalyn purchased the Hope shortly there after.
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As a leader of Washington society, McLean hosted events and wore the Hope high on her necklace, sometimes alone, other times wrapped with strands of pearls, but often times she wore the Hope together with the Star of the East on the same necklace, one beneath the other. Evalyn wore the Hope everywhere: to the movies, to distribute sandwiches to veterans, at home and on the streets. When not wearing these massive stones, she kept them in her favorite hiding place: the cushions of her sofa.
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Evalyn Walsh McLean died on April 26, 1947, leaving instructions in her will that the Hope was to be put away in a bank vault for 20 years. Her trustees found this impractical and determined it was in the best interest of her estate to sell the Hope, the Star of the East together with 72 pieces of her jewelry collection, which included the 15 carat Star of the South Diamond, the 31 carat McLean Diamond and a clip brooch set with a 9 carat green diamond. Harry Winston purchased the entire collection in April 1949 for over 1 million dollars.
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