Hope Diamond was mailed in a plain brown package for just $145 in 1958

 The Hope Diamond embarked on a remarkable journey in 1958 when it was sent as registered mail to the Smithsonian Institution for safekeeping. This precious gem, with its origins in India, has a captivating royal history. American jeweller Harry Winston generously donated it to the museum after obtaining it from Evalyn Walsh McLean’s estate in 1949. The Hope Diamond embarked on a remarkable journey in 1958 when it was sent as registered mail to the Smithsonian Institution for safekeeping. This precious gem, with its origins in India, has a captivating royal history. American jeweller Harry Winston generously donated it to the museum after obtaining it from Evalyn Walsh McLean’s estate in 1949.