Science Fair Project Encyclopedia It is believed that the Hope
diamond's history can be traced to a blue diamond named
"Tavernier Blue," which was originally mined from the Kollur
mine in Golconda, India, and was a crudely cut triangle shape of
112 3/16-carats. French merchant traveler Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier purchased it sometime in 1660 or 1661. In 1668,
Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France. Sieur
Pitau, the court jeweller, cut it and produced a 67 1/8-carat
stone. The stone became known as "the Blue Diamond of the Crown"
or "the French Blue." It was set in gold and suspended on a neck
ribbon for the King to wear on ceremonial occasions. In 1749,
King Louis XV had it set on his pendant for the Order of the
Golden Fleece. After his death, it fell into disuse. During the
French Revolution, when King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were
held in prison, the pendant with the diamond was stolen on
September 11, 1792, when six men broke into the house used to
store the crown jewels. One of the rob