Diamond necklace with 673 brilliants stolen from Vienna's MAK
Two unknown men stole a diamond necklace belonging to Egyptian Queen Nasli from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. The piece fetched over 4 million dollars in 2015.
Theft at the MAK: perpetrators smash display case and flee with royal jewellery
A valuable diamond necklace has been stolen from the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna. According to 20 Minuten, two men of unknown identity smashed a display case during visiting hours and took the piece of jewellery with them. The perpetrators subsequently fled with their haul; no persons were harmed in the incident.
Police released a wanted photograph of the stolen item as well as images of two suspects dressed inconspicuously in dark clothing from inside the museum. According to police, criminal investigators' enquiries are proceeding at full speed. In the evening, police officers were present both outside and inside the building.
The MAK confirmed in a brief statement only that a theft had occurred within the framework of its jewellery exhibition. It said that no information would be provided regarding ongoing investigations.
According to information on the MAK website, the stolen piece is a necklace by the Paris luxury jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels with 673 diamonds and more than 200 carats. The necklace once belonged to Egyptian Queen Nasli, who wore it in 1939 on the occasion of her daughter Fausia's wedding to then-Iranian Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Palavi — the same Palavi who shortly afterwards became Shah.
In 2015, the piece was auctioned by Sotheby's in New York for just under 4.3 million dollars — equivalent to approximately 3.5 million francs.
Since the beginning of June, the MAK has been presenting more than 300 objects from the Van Cleef & Arpels collection as part of the exhibition "Masterpieces". A photograph on the museum's website showed the stolen necklace behind a pane of glass.
Source: 20 Minuten