Pink diamond returns to France after century-old heist
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The Château de Chantilly in France will display the “Grand Condé” pink diamond for the first time since thieves stole it in October 1926.
A maid discovered the nine-carat gem hidden inside an apple weeks after the overnight raid. The diamond survived the French Revolution and passed through royal collections, eventually becoming part of the Musée Condé collection at the château, located 31 miles north of Paris.
Museum director Mathieu Deldicque acknowledged recent thefts at European cultural institutions, but emphasized extensive research has made the diamond uniquely identifiable. The exhibition, running until January 3, will also showcase archival material detailing the gem’s history and the circumstances of its theft. Naturally occurring pink diamonds are extremely rare and valuable, with one selling for $71.2 million in 2017.
The Grand Condé’s origins trace back to 1740, when it appeared in an inventory of Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, and later belonged to Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily and Prince Henri of Orléans.
