In 1953, in , Marilyn Monroe sang in a pink dress that diamonds are a woman’s best friend. Only one, however, will nourish a cursed legend.
Called Moon of Baroda, this pear-shaped yellow diamond of 24.04 carats, extracted from the Indian mines of Golconda, passes from maharajas to Hollywood studios. Today, its nickname of Marilyn Monroe’s cursed diamond fascinates as much as its brilliance.
Moon of Baroda: from India’s maharajas to the neck of Marilyn Monroe
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the stone is said to have been discovered near Hyderabad. It then joined the treasure of the Gaekwad maharajas of Baroda, where it remained for almost five centuries.
In the 18th century, the diamond was given to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Rumor says that every crossing of the sea brings bad luck; after the death of Maria Theresa in 1780, the stone was returned to India in a panic.
Marilyn Monroe, Lorelei Lee and Hollywood’s most mysterious necklace
In the 1940s, the diamond reappeared in the United States and ended up with Detroit jeweler Meyer Rosenbaum. In 1953, he lent it to Marilyn to promote , where Lorelei Lee said she preferred a tiara, because for her .
Lisa Levinson, of the Natural Diamond Council, recalls that, cited by Vogue. Fascinated, Marilyn signed a photo for Rosenbaum, sold at Christie’s in 2018 for around 27,000 pounds (nearly $31,000).
A curse that continues to haunt Hollywood cinema
After this loan, Marilyn Monroe’s trajectory changed: divorce from baseball champion Joe DiMaggio in 1954, tormented marriage with playwright Arthur Miller, miscarriage, painful filming and failure of , separation in 1961, then death at age 36 on August 5, 1962, often linked to the so-called curse.
On the art market, the stone sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2018 for more than 1.3 million dollars (around 1.2 million euros), before joining an anonymous private collection. Hollywood, however, continues to recycle its story in articles, documentaries, biopics or red carpet looks inspired by Marilyn’s black choker.
What is the Moon of Baroda diamond?
It is a 24.04 carat pear-shaped yellow diamond, mined from the historic mines of Golconda, India.
Why are we talking about Marilyn Monroe’s cursed diamond?
A legend states that the stone brings bad luck when it crosses the sea, and the succession of dramas experienced by Marilyn maintains this story.
Where is the Moon of Baroda today?
After its record sale at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2018, the diamond joined a private collection whose owner remains unknown.
