Hope Diamond

Fun Fact Friday! 

The 45.5 carat Hope Diamond was once shipped via regular First-Class Mail from New York City to the “Castle” in Washington, D.C., a.k.a.. the Smithsonian Museum.  The donor, a philanthropic NYC jeweler named Harry Winston, felt that sending gems through the Postal Service was “the safest way to mail gems” and was nevertheless used to sending gemstones that way.  

So, in 1958, on November 8th, the Hope Diamond was sent off and was received in D.C. on November 10th by Leonard Carmichael, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  First-Class Mail parcel postage was $2.44, but the blue diamond was insured for $142.85, the cost of $1,000,000 insurance coverage.  Today, such a shipment would likely be handled by an alternative carrier since the USPS only offers a maximum of $5,000 coverage in indemnity to protect against loss or damage.” [ref: https://www.usps.com/ship/insurance-extra-services.htm] 

Image and Citation References:   

(1)  https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/hope-diamond.pdf 

(2)  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-hope-diamond-102556385/ 

(3)  http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_8819 

(4)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond 

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