THE CURSE OF THE HOPE DIAMOND. REAL OR NOT? AND DO SPIRITS SURROUND THIS UNTOUCHABLE STONE??? THESE PHOTOS MAY HAVE THE ANSWER.

So, this week I am in Washington DC. What a beautiful city this is. Today I went to the Smithsonian and saw the Hope Diamond. I would say....that I would put this on my "wish list" BUT.......it is CURSED!!! YES CURSED!!! Some believe that this curse is VERY REAL including the staff at the Smithsonian.

I have soooooo much to write about and share with you....the Winchester, Alcatraz, the very haunted Cliff Restaurant and now SO many things here in the Washington area and one VERY SCARY house. Going to wait and let that be a surprise for you guys. Anyway, so much to go over and write about....there's going to be some great stuff coming up over the next few weeks. Bare with me as I try to get it all done and posted. I have literally been gone for two weeks and I'm pooped!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, I am staying up late just so I can share a really cool story with you about the Hope Diamond.

In 1792, the Hope Diamond was stolen from the house that stored the crown jewels. It's a pretty fascinating little bauble, if you're the sort of person who is impressed by 45.52 carat gems (I am). But you probably wouldn't want to own it "“ it's cursed, you know. The story goes that the curse started from the Tavernier Blue, which was the precursor to several large diamonds, including the Hope Diamond. Take this with a grain of salt, because it's never been proved: Jean-Baptiste Tavernier stole the 115.16 carat blue diamond from a Hindu statue, where it was serving as one of the eyes. Upon discovering it was missing, priests put a curse on whoever was in possession of the gem.

Below are 10 people who have (supposedly) experienced the Hope Diamond Curse.

1. Jean Baptiste-Tavernier. The story is that he came down with a raging fever soon after stealing the diamond, and after he died, his body was possibly ravaged by wolves. However, other reports show that he lived until the ripe old age of 84, so"¦ yeah.

2. King Louis XIV. He bought the stone from Tavernier and had it recut in1673. It was then known as "The Blue Diamond of the Crown" or the "French Blue". King Louis died of gangrene and all of his legitimate children died in childhood, except for one. But that isn't atypical of the times, I don't think.

3. Nicholas Fouquet, who worked for King Louis XIV, is said to have worn the diamond for some special occasion. Shortly thereafter, he fell out of favor with the king and was banished from France. The Louis changed this sentence to life imprisonment, so Fouquet spent 15 years in the fortress of Pignerol. Some people believe that he was the real Man in the Iron Mask, but other accounts dispute this.

4. and 5. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Louis inherited the French Blue, Marie wore it, and I think we all know what happened there. That's the story, anyway - we have no photographic evidence that Marie wore the gem, but it fits in nicely with the curse, don't you think?

6. Marie-Louise, Princess de Lamballe, was a member of Marie Antoinette's court and was her closest confidante. She was killed by a mob in a most horrific fashion "“ apparently hit with a hammer, decapitated, stripped, and disemboweled, among other things. Her head was impaled on a pike and carried to Marie Antoinette's prison window.

7. Wilhelm Fals was a Dutch jeweler who recut the diamond again. His son ended up murdering him and then killing himself.

8. Greek merchant Simon Maoncharides owned the diamond. His curse? He drove his car over a cliff and killed himself, his wife and his child.

9. Evalyn Walsh McLean. Evalyn was a spoiled heiress who lived a charmed life"¦ until she bought the diamond. She happily wore the diamond and there are stories that she would even affix the jewel to her dog's collar and let him wander around the apartment with it. But wearing the Hope Diamond came at a steep price: first her mother-in-law died, her son died at the age of nine, her husband left her for another woman and later died in a mental hospital, her daughter died of a drug overdose at 25 and she eventually had to sell her newspaper "“ theWashington Post - and died owing huge debts. Evalyn's surviving kids sold the diamond to Harry Winston. Nine years later, Winston mailed the gem to the Smithsonian for $2.44 in postage and $155 in insurance. Which brings us to number 10:

10. James Todd, the mailman who delivered the diamond to the Smithsonian, apparently had his leg crushed in a truck accident shortly thereafter. He also suffered a head injury in a separate accident. Oh, also, his house burned down.

There's no doubt that Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI and Princess de Lamballe were a tragic bunch; and Evalyn Walsh McLean definitely went through her share of hard times. But lots of these are probably exaggerated and twisted a bit to fit the tale and make the curse seem even more horrible. I wonder if even writing about the diamond can make you fall under the umbrella of the curse? After all, the Princess de Lamballe and the mailman didn't have much to do with the gem at all. Crap. Well, if you guys don't hear from me tomorrow, just assume that I'm victim #11.

Here are some of the photos I took today. Let me know if you happen to notice anything.....uuummm out of the ordinary in one of them....like.....say an ORB??? (Sorry, the color is not very good. The Hope Diamond is bright blue but my flash was on)