It's Halloween tomorrow so keeping with the spookiness of the day this Thursday throwback is about the Delhi Sapphire which is reputed to be cursed.
The Sapphire which is purple began it's life in the Temple of Indra in India. Sapphires are believed in crystal healing to hold properties for healing rheumatism and mental illness.
The sapphire was looted from the temple during the Indian Mutinies of 1857, it's believed the curse was placed on the gem after this. It was a Colonel W. Ferris from the Bengal Cavalryman who was responsible for the theft and became the first victim of the curse.
Ferris brought it home to England with him and soon after his family started with health problems and financial troubles. The family blamed the sapphire for their misfortune and said it was responsible for a series of failed investments which left them close to ruin. A friend of the family unexpectedly committed suicide whilst in procession of the sapphire.
Next came the author Edward Heron Allen to own the purple sapphire, being a man of science and reason he dismissed the curse on the pretty sapphire but would soon question his judgement. He tried to sell the sapphire on twice but both times the buyers met with bad luck and returned the sapphire to him.
It's said he even tried throwing the sapphire into the Regent's Canal and thought that he was finally rid of the purple sapphire and it's curse. That was until there was a knock at his door 3 months later, a dredger had found the gem in the canal and tried to sell it to a jeweller, the jeweller had recognised it and duly returned it to Mr Heron Allen.
It was in 1904, after the birth of his daughter he came up with a new way of ridding himself of the Delhi purple sapphire. He sealed the gem inside 7 boxes with a note inside and had protective charms placed on it and sent it to his banker with instructions to lock it away until he had died. Upon his death the gem was then to go to the Natural History Museum in London. No one was to open it until he had been dead three years and under circumstance must his daughter ever inherit the gem or even touch it in anyway.
Three years passed by and the box was eventually opened and the note inside was read.
It read:
The Sapphire which is purple began it's life in the Temple of Indra in India. Sapphires are believed in crystal healing to hold properties for healing rheumatism and mental illness.
The sapphire was looted from the temple during the Indian Mutinies of 1857, it's believed the curse was placed on the gem after this. It was a Colonel W. Ferris from the Bengal Cavalryman who was responsible for the theft and became the first victim of the curse.
Ferris brought it home to England with him and soon after his family started with health problems and financial troubles. The family blamed the sapphire for their misfortune and said it was responsible for a series of failed investments which left them close to ruin. A friend of the family unexpectedly committed suicide whilst in procession of the sapphire.
Next came the author Edward Heron Allen to own the purple sapphire, being a man of science and reason he dismissed the curse on the pretty sapphire but would soon question his judgement. He tried to sell the sapphire on twice but both times the buyers met with bad luck and returned the sapphire to him.
It's said he even tried throwing the sapphire into the Regent's Canal and thought that he was finally rid of the purple sapphire and it's curse. That was until there was a knock at his door 3 months later, a dredger had found the gem in the canal and tried to sell it to a jeweller, the jeweller had recognised it and duly returned it to Mr Heron Allen.
It was in 1904, after the birth of his daughter he came up with a new way of ridding himself of the Delhi purple sapphire. He sealed the gem inside 7 boxes with a note inside and had protective charms placed on it and sent it to his banker with instructions to lock it away until he had died. Upon his death the gem was then to go to the Natural History Museum in London. No one was to open it until he had been dead three years and under circumstance must his daughter ever inherit the gem or even touch it in anyway.
Three years passed by and the box was eventually opened and the note inside was read.
It read:
Whoever shall open it,
shall first read out this warning, and then do as he pleases with the jewel.
My advice to him or her is to cast it into the sea.
In 2004 the museum sent the gem with John Whittaker an employee at the Natural History Museum, to an event for first annual symposium of Edward Heron Allen's society. Mr Whittaker said after that he and his wife had been trapped in there car by a furious storm with dramatic lightening, he claimed it was a horrific experience.
Unfortunately for John Whittaker he was again charge with transporting the gem a second time, this time he fell ill being violently sick with an stomach bug.
Personally I wouldn't have taken the gem a third time but Mr Whittaker was tasked for a third time with the Delhi purple sapphire. this time he fell in pain and eventually passed a Kidney stone.
Not surprising the gem was never transported again and remains in the Natural History Museum, London on show in their Vault collection of Precious gemstones.
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