The Dehli Purple Sapphire- Cursed Gemstone Lore

This beautiful Amethyst has a storied and long history. Unlike many of our previous haunted gems, this stone is not known for bringing death to the owner but for general misfortune and tragedy.  The first such tale dates all the way back to the 19th century when India was thrown into tumoil during the uprising of the British. During the mutiny many of the temples of India experienced looting and distruction- one such temple was the temple of Indra at Cawnpore (Kanpur), which was built for the Hindu god of war and weather.  The first noted owner of the bauble was Col. W. Farris, the powers of the stone were noted almost imediately after his return to England. The financial woes that plagued him nearly brought his family to poverty, and nearly every member of his family suffered debilitating illness. He also lent the stone to a friend, who commited suicide almost imediately after.

The next steps of the stone brought it from Ferris' son to the posession of Edward Heron-Allen a scientist and writer in 1890. He had the stone set into a silver ring to look like a double headed snake. Although he was known and scholar and rational thinker, the lore of the stone soon came true as he suffered many different problems. He noted a vision of a Hindu deity that haunted him and the family home seemingly looking for the jewel. After a friend borrowed the bauble and experienced a series of unfortunate events he threw the gem into the river. Heron-Allen was sure he would be cleared from the curse and went about his life, until the river was dreged and the ring found and returned to the jeweler who had set it who in turn returned it to poor Edward.  After a couple more misfalls and fearing the possibly passing of the curse to his newborn daughter Edward he decided to lock the amethyst away in 7 boxes, surrounded by good luck charms in a safety deposit box at his bank. He included and letter and instructions in his estate to not open the box till 33 years after his death. 


Upon his death in the 1940's his daughter decided to send the gem to the British Museum of Natural History. Where it sat in a drawer till 1972. A young curator found it and the letter that ended with "Whoever opens this box, do whatever you want with it. My advice however is to throw it into the sea." Which he might have wished he did infact do. Instead though he took it to a symposium. During the journey he was stranded by thunderstorms, and stricken with kidney stones.  It now sits on display at the Museum.