VIENNA, Austria: A valuable diamond necklace has been stolen from a museum in Vienna, Austrian police said on Thursday (Aug. 27), reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Police released an image of the piece, which was made by Paris luxury jeweller, Van Cleef & Arpels.
Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) gave no details about the stolen item, but information on its website indicates that it may be a royal necklace containing 673 diamonds weighing more than 200 carats.
The museum confirmed only that a theft had taken place during its jewellery exhibition and said no one had been injured. It said no information would be provided on the ongoing investigation.
The MAK has been showing more than 300 pieces from the Van Cleef & Arpels collection since early June.
A photo of the exhibition on the museum’s website shows the necklace behind a glass display case.
The accompanying description says it once belonged to Queen Nazli of Egypt, who wore it in 1939 at the wedding of her daughter, Fawzia, to Iran’s then Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later became Shah.
The necklace sold for around USD4.3 million at auction in New York in 2015, according to auction house Sotheby’s.
Police said two unidentified men smashed a display case during opening hours, took the piece and fled.
Images released by police showed two suspects dressed in dark clothing inside the museum. – BERNAMA-dpa
