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Rare Grand Condé Diamond to Go on Display 100 Years After Historic Theft
The exhibit includes scientific profiling meant to make the 9.01-carat pink diamond identifiable and unsellable if stolen, curators said.
The Musée Condé will display the Grand Condé diamond this October to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the theft, marking the first time the piece has appeared in a major public exhibition in a century, according to Deldicque.
Leon Kauffer and Emile Souter stole the jewel in 1926 but could not sell the famous piece; Suzanne Schiltz inadvertently recovered the diamond after finding it hidden inside an apple within the thieves' suitcase.
The museum enlisted gemologists from France, Canada, and Switzerland to conduct scientific analysis on the stone's composition, creating an "identity card" for the diamond to ensure it remains identifiable to authorities even if reshaped.
Recent high-profile heists frame the exhibition's security focus, including the Louvre burglary in October 2025 and a $4 million smash-and-grab in Vienna, Austria, where thieves stole a diamond necklace.
The exhibit, run by the museum and the School of Jewelry Arts, will run from October 17th to January 3rd, showcasing the rare pink stone's provenance as an 18th-century treasure gifted to the Duke.