Join Lauren Kiehna on Zoom as she tells the chilling story of one of the most famous gemstones of all time: the Hope Diamond. Once owned by D.C. socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, and now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Hope Diamond is considered by many to be cursed. Learn how it achieved this notoriety, and what effect it had on McLean and her family.  

About Lauren Kiehna

Lauren Kiehna has a Ph.D. in British literature from the University of Kansas and lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. She runs the blog The Court Jeweler, about royal jewelry, under the nom de plume “Ella Kay.” Dr. Kiehna has been writing about royals around the world since 2008, and has covered a number of major royal events, including the royal weddings of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden in 2010, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.

How to Participate

This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online, and we will email you a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the program starts (12 p.m. EDT / 9 a.m. PDT). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.

About the D.C. Mondays Series

Join local authors, researchers and community members online for lively discussions about Washington, D.C.’s history, politics, culture and more. Browse upcoming programs