In a Pocket

The famed 45.52 carat Hope Diamond, estimated to have formed around 1.1 billion years ago, after about four centuries of various private ownership was donated in 1958 by Harry Winston to the National Museum of Natural History for their gem collection. Rather than personally transporting the incredibly valuable diamond to said institution, Winston simply boxed it up and put it in the regular mail, trusting that the U.S. postal service would get it where it needed to go without issue... Said Winston to the The Evening Star in Washington D.C. after it was safely delivered, "It’s the safest way to mail gems. I’ve sent gems all over the world that way..." This wasn't the only time the diamond was sent with such limited security. In 1962, the National Museum of Natural History lent the diamond out for use in a Louvre exhibition. To get it there, they simply gave it to Smithsonian mineralogist George Switzer, who in turn put it in a pouch his wife made which was placed in a pocket in his pants. To help ensure it didn't accidentally fall out of the pocket, he did, at the least, use a safety pin to secure the pouch inside the pocket.