Meet the Cloner of Famous Diamonds

by Ken Rock, MSDC Editor

Replicas showing two earlier versions of the Hope Diamond, as well as the gem as it looks today

You may have heard Dr. Jeffrey Post, the curator-in-charge of gems and minerals and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, talk about a project a couple of years ago to obtain an exact copy not only of the Hope Diamond, but also earlier forms of the famous diamond. This work was possible because of an early drawing of the original stone as it was found in India, as well as a previously unknown unique lead cast of the "French Blue" diamond.

These replicas were achieved not by accident, but by the hard, dedicated work of John Hatleberg, a "conceptual gem artist," who worked closely with Dr. Post in creating these cloned gems. Here is a recent item from YouTube with the intriguing title: How This Guy Clones Famous Diamonds.