Historic 673-Diamond Necklace Linked to Egyptian Queen Stolen in Vienna Heist

Austrian authorities are currently on the trail of two individuals suspected of orchestrating the theft of a priceless 200-carat platinum necklace, adorned with 673 diamonds, from a prominent museum in Vienna. The exquisite piece, which was temporarily housed at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), is famously known to have once graced the collection of Queen Nazli of Egypt.

Police have disseminated surveillance images of the alleged perpetrators, captured by security cameras during the incident, and have issued a public appeal for assistance in identifying or locating them. Reports indicate that the two men gained entry to the museum by purchasing tickets to the ongoing exhibition. On Thursday afternoon, while the museum was open to the public, they reportedly used a hammer to shatter a glass display case, quickly seized the necklace, and then fled the premises.

In their official plea for public information, law enforcement stated, "The perpetrators fled with the jewellery in an unknown direction." A comprehensive search operation was launched across parts of central Vienna, involving the deployment of a police tracking dog in an effort to trace the suspects. Local Austrian newspaper, Kronen, suggested that investigators are considering the possibility that the robbery was a "contract job" executed on behalf of a criminal syndicate.

The stolen necklace was a central feature of an exhibition that commenced at the MAK in June. This particular display showcased over 300 works associated with the renowned French luxury jewellery brand, Van Cleef & Arpels. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the daring daylight robbery, despite several visitors being present in the exhibition room at the time of the theft.

According to museum records, the necklace was a personal possession of Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt, who notably wore it during the 1939 wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Iran's then-Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later ascended to the throne as shah. The historical piece was last sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2015, fetching a staggering $4.3 million.

The MAK had previously highlighted that the exhibition brought together approximately 200 "unique and rarely seen objects" drawn from its own collection and the extensive heritage collection of Van Cleef & Arpels, chronicling about 120 years of the jewellery house’s legacy. Following the theft, a guided tour scheduled for Friday afternoon was cancelled, and the exhibition has been temporarily closed. It was originally slated to conclude on September 27.

This incident adds to a troubling trend of high-profile art and artefact robberies targeting museums and cultural institutions across Europe. Recently, Spain witnessed a raid on the Treasure of Villena, a significant collection of Bronze Age gold artefacts considered a paramount prehistoric hoard in Europe. Earlier in the month, four important works by the 15th-century Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina were stolen from a museum in Messina, Sicily. Italian police also successfully recovered three paintings by master artists Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse, which had been pilfered from a private museum near Parma. A recent report from Europol has underscored the escalating violence in European museum robberies, noting that criminals are increasingly employing weapons and heavy-duty tools, including sledgehammers, axes, and explosives, to target valuable cultural treasures.