Two visitors smashed a display case and stole a platinum and diamond necklace from the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna on August 27, according to a museum press statement. The Van Cleef & Arpels necklace was last appraised at $4.6 million by Sotheby's, Der Standard reported.
The necklace was featured in Glanzstücke, an exhibition displaying over 500 works from the museum's design collection and the French luxury jewelry house. The 200-karat piece contains 673 white diamonds and was designed in 1939 for Egyptian Queen Nazli on the occasion of her daughter Princess Fawzia's marriage to Iranian Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later became Iran's last shah.
Austrian media outlets reported that the two men purchased tickets to enter the museum before approaching the display case. The case also contained a set of earrings and a double-clip brooch from the same collection, along with two decorative wares.
Museum officials declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
