The history of the stone which was eventually named the Hope Diamond began when the French merchant traveler, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond, which was most likely from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, was somewhat triangular in shape and crudely cut. Its color was described by Tavernier as a "beautiful violet."
Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1668 with 14 other large diamonds and several smaller ones. In 1673, the stone was recut by Sieur Pitau, the court jeweler, resulting in a 67 1/8-carat stone. In the royal inventories, its color was described as an intense steely-blue and 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 which the king wore on ceremonial occasions.
Robert is a one-of-a-kind, handmade doll created around the turn of the 20th century by the Steiff Company in Germany. For nearly 70 years, he was the close companion of Gene Otto who treated the doll like a real person. It is said that young Gene would shift blame when he misbehaved as a child, pointing to the doll and saying, ‘I didn’t do it. Robert did it.’
The story of the Dybbuk Box began in 2001, after an antiques dealer purchased an old wine cabinet at an estate sale. Upon bringing the cabinet into his home, supernatural activity started to occur. Plagued by nightmares, the dealer learned that the cabinet was haunted by a dybbuk. In Jewish culture, a dybbuk is said to be an evil spirit who terrorizes the living.
Despite the cursed nature of the Dybbuk Box, lots of people wanted it after the dealer listed it for sale on eBay. It was eventually purchased by Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures for his haunted museum in Las Vegas. Rapper Post Malone was allegedly cursed by the Dybbuk Box after coming into contact with it on an episode of Bagan’s show. After filming, he was involved in a car accident, and his private plane experienced a malfunction, forcing an emergency landing.
The legend of the Basano Vase goes back to 15th-century Italy. The story goes that a bride-to-be was given a simple silver vase. When no one could find her for the ceremony, her future husband went searching for her.
He found her dead, holding the vase in her arms. A family member inherited the vase and quickly died. After this happened a third time, a priest had the vase buried on hallowed ground. However, it would eventually be unearthed.
Five hundred years after the bride’s death, someone dug up the Basano Vase, and the curse continued. A police officer eventually buried the vase in a cemetery, and it hasn’t been seen since. There are multiple variations of the Basano Vase curse, but this is the most often told version.
If every myth and legend about Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone were true, it would be the most significant rock in history. Here are the facts of this favorite Irish tourist attraction. Unfortunately, most of the myths and legends surrounding Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone seem to be fabrications, to say the least.
The stone was put into a tower of the Blarney Castle in 1446 and has become one of Ireland’s most successful tourist attractions. As the legends go, if one kisses the stone, they are said to be bestowed with the gift of eloquence and the skill of flattery.
Where the stone exactly came from and how we arrived at our current understanding of the stone remains uncertain. The lack of a clear history has allowed mythological explanations to take prominence to what the Blarney Stone is and was.
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The Blarney Stone: Located at the top of the castle tower, the stone is legendary; according to tradition, kissing it gives the "gift of gab" (eloquence).
The 600yo castle essentially one very romantic, very tall tower.
Blarney House near Blarney Castle.
A medieval stronghold originally built and partially rebuilt in the 15th century by Cormac MacCarthy, one of Ireland's most powerful chieftains.
