Necklace with 673 diamonds stolen from Vienna museum
A rare diamond necklace that belonged to the Egyptian royal family has been stolen from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.
According to law enforcement authorities, the men entered the museum at around two o'clock in the afternoon local time, presenting themselves as ordinary visitors.
After some time, they approached one of the display cases, smashed the protective glass and took the necklace that was inside. The suspects then left the museum and fled.
At the time of the incident, other visitors were in the exhibition hall, so the theft took place in front of several witnesses. Investigators believe the criminals may have chosen the specific exhibit in advance and studied the surroundings before committing the crime.
The stolen piece of jewelry is made of platinum and adorned with 673 diamonds with a total weight of more than 200 carats. It was created on commission for the Egyptian royal family and is linked to one of the most famous events in the history of the Egyptian monarchy.
In 1939, Queen Nazli of Egypt wore the necklace at the wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia. Her husband was the crown prince of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later ascended the Iranian throne and became the country's shah.
The history of the jewelry continued decades later. In 2015, the necklace was put up for auction in New York and, according to data from the Sotheby's auction house, sold for almost 4.3 million dollars. After that, it became one of the most valuable historical pieces of jewelry associated with the Egyptian royal family. A unit of Austria's Federal Criminal Police Office specializing in crimes against cultural heritage has joined the investigation. Numerous emergency services personnel were deployed in central Vienna after the theft.
The exhibition features around 500 items of decorative and applied art and jewelry. It includes more than 300 works by the French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as over 200 exhibits from the Museum of Applied Arts' own collection.
