Researchers have unveiled a newly found secret of the Hope diamond, which was brought from India in the 17th century.
French mineral scientist Francois Farges and Jeffrey Post, the Smithsonian's curator of minerals found a 17th-century lead replica of the 45.52-carat diamond in 2009 among the National d'Histoire Naturelle's collection, Fox News reported.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the researchers found that when King Louis XIV was in the possession of the diamond, it was mounted on a gold background and was cut in a way that could cause a sun to appear at the blue stone's center-all too appropriate for the Sun King, whose colors were blue and gold.
Louis XIV has bought the originally 112 3/16-carat, crudely cut diamond in 1668 from a French merchant who obtained the jewel somewhere in India.
Five years later the diamond was recut to its 67 1/8-carat size, at which time it became known as the French Blue.
