The iconic crown worn by Empress Eugénie is making a remarkable return. The Louvre has confirmed that restoration efforts on her crown are going well, and it is expected to be restored to full condition.
The crown to an estimated 19th century was heavily impacted by the ice falling on it when it was dropped by the crooks. In fact the thieves, along with 10 of the 1354 diamonds, stole one of the eight golden eagles that were on the original crown. Luckily, all 56 emeralds, along with the majority of / its original structure have survived.
Approximately two years before the theft, members of the gang entered the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon through a balcony overlooking the Seine. They had used a stolen vehicle equipped with a mechanical lift to make their entrance. After entering the building through the balcony, they sliced through many of the glass display cases of artwork and artifacts in just a few minutes.
The thieves reportedly completed their entire robbery operation in less than 4 minutes. After exiting the building on waiting scooters, they left only chaos in their wake and inadvertently left the diamond-covered crown they had just stolen from its display case.
Interestingly, some of the other royal pieces of jewelry (e.g., tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and brooches) taken during the robbery remain missing; however, the crown may ultimately become the most talked-about piece from this heist.
A few short months after the initial theft of the crown, this museum released its first images, showing the severe damage done to the crown by criminal activity while attempting to remove it from display.
According to the museum, instead of being completely rebuilt, the crown will be restored to its original state using the same techniques that were used in the original making of the crown. An Expert Committee is made up of experts from the museum as well as other experts who will assist with all aspects of restoration. This restoration will fall under the leadership of the museum president, Laurence des Cars.
At this point, four suspects have been arrested as a result of involvement in the robbery. Authorities have stated that they still have not identified the mastermind behind the theft of the €88 million diamond jewel.
It is incredible to think that there was a time when a crown that was worn by one of the wives of Napoleon III almost disappeared from history only because of the experts that are working to ensure that history continues to exist.
Although the crime resulted in the loss of several significant artefacts, the final outcome of this story gives one hope: a crown that was broken and ruined, is nearly as good as new, demonstrating that this type of history can survive even the most brazen of thefts.
