Diamond necklace with 673 stones stolen from Vienna museum
Two men stole a diamond necklace once owned by Egyptian Queen Nazli from Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). Police are searching for the suspects.
A diamond-studded necklace that once belonged to Egyptian Queen Nazli has been stolen from the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna. The theft took place on Thursday, August 27, at around 2:00 p.m.
According to law enforcement, two men entered the museum posing as ordinary visitors before smashing a glass display case and taking the necklace. Citing the outlet Kurier, the publication Yevropeyska Pravda reported that the perpetrators likely knew in advance exactly which item they intended to steal.
A piece with royal history
The stolen necklace is made of platinum and set with 673 diamonds weighing a combined 200 carats. It was originally commissioned by the Egyptian royal family. Queen Nazli wore it in 1939 at the wedding of her daughter Fawzia to the Iranian crown prince, who later became Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
In 2015, the French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels bought the necklace at a Sotheby's auction in New York for 4.3 million dollars. It subsequently returned to public view as part of the exhibition Glanzstücke ("Masterpieces"), currently running at MAK, which brings together around 500 items, including more than 300 Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry pieces and over 200 objects from the museum's own collection.
After the theft, the two men fled the scene. Police have launched a search for the suspects.
