Rare Pink Diamond Stolen In 1926 To Go On Display In France

A rare pink diamond stolen nearly a century ago is set to return to public display in France, bringing renewed attention to a remarkable theft involving a hollowed-out apple.

The nine-carat, pear-shaped gemstone, known as the Grand Condé, was taken from the Château de Chantilly during a nighttime raid in October 1926. The thieves reportedly hid it inside an apple, but their plan unravelled when a hungry hotel maid bit into the fruit and discovered the jewel.

The diamond was recovered weeks after the theft and has remained part of the historic collection at the Condé Museum.

It will be exhibited at the museum, housed within the Château de Chantilly north of Paris, until January 3.

Museum director Mathieu Deldicque said contemporary newspaper reports documented the unusual circumstances surrounding the theft, despite how implausible the story might sound today.

The exhibition will also feature previously unseen archival material about the diamond’s history and theft, alongside findings from academic research undertaken to establish its distinctive characteristics.

The display comes amid heightened concerns about security at European cultural institutions following a series of high-profile thefts, including the daylight robbery of jewellery from the Louvre in Paris.

The Grand Condé’s origins remain uncertain. It was first recorded in an inventory drawn up after the death of Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, in 1740.

The gemstone later entered the collection of Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily before passing to her son, Henri of Orléans, Duke of Aumale, who bequeathed it to the Institut de France.

Naturally occurring pink diamonds are exceptionally rare and can command tens of millions of dollars at auction. The Grand Condé’s insurance value has not been disclosed.