To mark the 50th anniversary of the donation of the world’s
most famous diamond to the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Channel will premiere a one-hour special, Mystery of the Hope Diamond, on
Sunday, November 21 at 8 p.m.

Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actress Kim Basinger
will narrate the special. The film tells the definitive story of the gem,
mixing history, science and legend. It features two exclusive events: the
creation of new 21st century setting selected by the American people and an
experiment to reveal the inner secrets of the diamond.

For more information and video clips of the film, go to
www.smithsonianchannel.com/hope.

The Hope Diamond has been on display since September of 2009
with no setting. To coincide with the premiere of the special, The Hope Diamond
will be placed into a new setting, created by the Harry Winston design team and
worn by supermodel Hilary Rhoda.

The “Embracing Hope” setting was chosen in an
online vote last year on smithsonianchannel.com, where over 100,000 votes were
cast. The diamond will remain on display in the temporary setting in the
Smithsonian Museum’s Winston Gallery in the Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals
for an undetermined amount of time.

JCK