U.S. returns $100 million of stolen artifacts to India

[Little Tich]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — It's taken a while, but India is finally welcoming home some long-lost national treasures.

The U.S. has handed back more than 200 ancient artifacts, valued at more than $100 million, that were stolen from religious sites in India and smuggled out of the country.

The artifacts included religious statues, bronzes and terracotta pieces, some of them dating back more than 2,000 years. They were returned to the Indian government Monday at a Washington, D.C. ceremony attended by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"On behalf of President Obama, it is my great privilege to return these marvelous objects to the people of India," Lynch said.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/07/us/stolen-artifacts-returned-india/index.html

[IronLionZion]

1. how about the hope diamond?

No luck on that one?

oh well, I'm impressed that they've given back these items. We'll see if the UK will like to follow suit.

[Nitram]

2. I'm not sure India would want to have the "cursed diamond" back.

[IronLionZion]

3. It's been cursing America so bad we have a horse's ass running for president

[happyslug]

4. Why India? other then speculation, there is NO evidence it is from India.

The Hope Diamond is a "Blue Diamond". Blue Diamonds have been found in South African and other places other then India. A blueish-white diamond was found in West Virginia near the borders of Virginia and Kentucky in 1928 (and a blue-white diamond was found in Brazil in 1938. On the other hand prior to 1800, when Brazil and later South Africa replaced India as the main source for Diamonds, India was the main source for Diamonds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond

Through it should be noted India is where most Blue Diamonds are found (but NOT all of them):

http://www.naturallycolored.com/diamond-education/where-do-colored-diamonds-come-from

List of Diamonds:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diamonds

More on Diamond Color:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_color

Type IIb diamonds, which account for 0.1% of gem diamonds, are usually light blue due to scattered boron within the crystal matrix; these diamonds are also semiconductors, unlike other diamond types (see Electrical properties of diamond)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_color