Episode 105: Handling the Hope Diamond

<p>Alexandra Beth Samit, founder of New York-based Alexandra Beth Fine Jewelry, explains how developments in the metal markets have spooked consumers and pushed some to buy cheaper stones.</p> 

On his second appearance, Thomas Hainschwang of GGTL Laboratories discusses underqualified gem labs, the latest developments in synthetics, and why fluorescent diamonds have a bad name. 

Conner Curran, CEO of commodity firm Dexterous DMCC, says Dubai is a fantastic place to live and work but raises concerns about tax changes. Plus: Why the company branched out into polished-diamond tenders for consumers. 

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Marilyn Monroe and Madonna told me so! That is… unless those diamonds are cursed! This episode is a deep-dive into the Hope Diamond, a 45.52 carat blue diamond in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Come for an almost to ... Show More

David Reid delves into the debate around the repatriation of problematic art and treasures. He visits one museum in the north-west of England attempting to decolonise its collection by returning thousands of items to the countries and communities they were taken from. In this epi ... Show More

<p>From brontosauruses with bronchitis to birds on a wire to flying space rocks and a botched heist at 20 thousand feet. In this episode, Lizzie and Sidedoor producer James run all around the Smithsonian to answer listeners' questions from the Sidedoor mailbag.</p> <p>Guests:</p ... Show More

A History of RockBrian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by rock enthusiasts Ross Noble, Paleontologist Susie Maidment and Geologist Chris Jackson to look at the history of rock. Unfortunately for Ross, this turns out to mean actual rolling stones, rather than THE Rolling Stones. We ... Show More

<p>The Smithsonian Institution was founded on principles of reason and scientific inquiry. So why is the Smithsonian home to countless tales of unexplained phenomena and—dare we say—ghost sightings? Inspired by an apparition at the National Museum of American History, we creak ac ... Show More

<p>The Smithsonian Institution was founded on principles of reason and scientific inquiry. So why is the museum home to countless tales of unexplained phenomena and —dare we say — ghost sightings? Inspired by an apparition at the National Museum of American History, we creak acro ... Show More

<p>Today we conclude our Diamond Wars series.</p><p>&nbsp;These precious stones are known to be undeniably beautiful, rare and a symbol of luxury. But&nbsp;diamonds have also been associated with war, human rights abuses and death. In response, consumers these days are demanding ... Show More

The British Museum's Director, Neil MacGregor, investigates a palm-sized stone sculpture that was found near Bethlehem. It clearly shows a couple entwined in the act of love. The contemporary sculptor Marc Quinn responds to the stone as art and the archaeologist Dr Ian Hodder con ... Show More

Ten years on from the ground-breaking Radio 4 series, "A History of The World in 100 Objects", former director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor looks back at the impact of the series, on how storytelling in museums has changed over a turbulent decade and asks which object fro ... Show More

A few years ago you could have assumed all diamonds had been dug out of the ground – but now it’s true that some of them have been created, at unbelievably high temperatures, in just a matter of weeks. In the first of two Business Daily programmes about the evolving diamond marke ... Show More