Two men entered the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna on August 27 and stole a platinum necklace set with 673 diamonds during opening hours, police said [1, 2, 3, 4]. The suspects smashed a glass display case to take the necklace and fled on foot in an unknown direction [1, 2, 3]. Authorities said one of the men carried a real firearm during the robbery [1, 4].
The necklace, weighing 200 carats, was made in 1939 by Van Cleef & Arpels for the wedding of Princess Fawzia of Egypt and Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran [1, 2, 3, 4]. It had been on display as part of a MAK exhibition featuring Van Cleef & Arpels pieces scheduled to run until September 2026 [1, 2, 3].
Its estimated value is reported between $3.6 million and $4.6 million, with Sotheby's auctioning it in 2015 for $4.3 million, though some reports say just over $4 million [1, 2, 3]. Lilli Hollein, MAK's general director, said "the theft of a highly valuable piece of jewellery... has hit us hard" [1].
No injuries were reported in the daylight heist during museum hours [1, 3]. Vienna police have released images of the suspects and launched an international manhunt, stating, "The perpetrators fled with the jewellery in an unknown direction" [1, 3, 4].
The robbery follows a series of high-profile violent museum thefts across Europe this year, including in Paris, Spain, and Italy [1, 2, 3].
Investigators continue to seek information on the whereabouts of the stolen necklace and the identity of the two men who committed the robbery [1, 3].
