Vienna museum diamond theft was reported after two visitors smashed a display case and fled with a platinum and diamond necklace at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna on August 27, according to officials.
The piece, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace last valued at 4.6 million dollars by Sotheby’s, was on view in Glanzstücke, an ongoing presentation that brings together more than 500 objects from the museum’s design holdings and the French high jewelry house.
The necklace comprises 200 carats and 673 white diamonds and was created in 1939 for Egyptian Queen Nazli to mark the marriage of her daughter Princess Fawzia to Iranian Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who would later become Iran’s last shah.
The museum issued a statement confirming the theft and declined to provide additional details because the investigation is active.
Vienna museum diamond theft during Glanzstücke exhibition
Austrian media reported that the two men purchased tickets before approaching the case that contained the necklace along with matching earrings, a double-clip brooch from the same collection, and two decorative items.