"When thieves broke into Paris's Musée de Louvre on October 19, 2025, they made off with $102 million in crown jewels-but in their haste to flee the scene, they dropped Empress Eugénie's crown, damaging the delicate, diamond-encrusted antique. Now, the piece will be painstakingly restored to go back on view at the museum's Galerie d'Apollon. The judicial police initially secured the work as evidence for the investigation, but turned it over to the museum's department of decorative arts the next day."
"Four of the crown's eight decorative diamond and emerald palmettes had broken off, and one of the alternating gold eagles had gone missing during the incident. There was good news, however. All 65 emeralds were still intact, and only 10 of the crown's 1,354 diamonds were missing, all very small ones from the base. The central diamond and emerald globe appeared unharmed. It would be possible to reshape the crown and conduct a full restoration."
Thieves broke into the Musée du Louvre on October 19, 2025, stealing $102 million in crown jewels and dropping Empress Eugénie's delicate diamond-and-emerald crown as they fled. The judicial police secured the crown as evidence and then handed it to the museum's decorative arts department, where a condition report revealed deformation and broken decorative elements caused by forcible extraction. Four palmettes and one gold eagle were lost, but all 65 emeralds remained intact and only 10 of 1,354 diamonds were missing. The central gems appeared unharmed, and reshaping and full restoration are possible under accredited restorers and expert oversight according to French heritage rules. The crowns were originally commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III in 1855 from jeweler Alexandre Gabriel Lemonnier with sculptor François Gilbert.
Read at Artnet News
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