The Gem of Sorrow

PC: Navrang India

During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the Delhi Purple Sapphire was stolen from the Temple of Indra (God of Rain), and it is firmly held that a curse was placed as a result of its removal from the idol. Colonel W. Ferris, a Bengal Cavalryman who would later come to regret taking the priceless stone home with him, brought the sapphire to England. The entire Ferris family appeared to be struggling with their health and finances soon after arriving back in England. They put the blame for their issues on a string of poor investment decisions made by Mr. Ferris and his son, which put the family in danger of going bankrupt. When a friend of the Ferris family suddenly committed suicide while in possession of the sapphire, things took a terrible turn for the worst.

The gem was next owned by a writer named Edward Heron-Allen in 1890. Heron-Allen, an Oscar Wilde friend, described a string of unfortunate events that occurred immediately, leading him to conclude that the sapphire was "trebly accursed." He gave the stone twice to friends who were fascinated by having it; nevertheless, both times those individuals encountered ill luck and gave the stone back to the original owner. Finally, in 1904, after the birth of his first daughter, and after some 14 years in possession of the Delhi Purple Sapphire, Heron-Allen sealed the gem inside a box and shipped it to his bankers with set instructions for it to be locked away until after his death. Heron-Allen later bestowed the sapphire to the Museum, under the condition that the box wasn't to be opened until a minimum of 3 years after his death, which under no circumstances must his daughter ever touch or be in possession of it. In 1943, after the death of Edward Heron-Allen, the Museum received the box containing the gem and put it to at least one side, as per his request. Sometime later, long after the box had been opened, a kind written note was found, Heron-Allen ended his note with these final words, "Whoever shall then open it, shall first read out this warning, so do as he pleases with the jewel. My advice to him or her is to cast it into the sea". Fun Part: The famous Delhi Purple Sapphire isn't actually a sapphire but amethyst and also the 'curse' surrounding it seems to possess been the invention of Persian scholar Edward Heron-Allen. The gem was donated to London's Museum by Heron-Allen's daughter together with a warning letter attached thereto. The letter claimed that the gem was stolen from the treasure of the Temple of the God Indra at Cawnpore during the revolt in 1855 and was dropped at this country by Colonel W. Ferris of the Bengal Cavalry. The Gem had three owners - Colonel W. Ferris, his son, and Heron-Allen and every one of them experienced unfortunate events within the family, like, trails of suicides, apparitions, disasters, and failed careers. The gem is now on display at the museum's Vault Collections, where it doesn't seem to cause any particular harm to visitors.