The "Grand Condé," a nine-carat pear-shaped pink diamond, has returned to public display at the Château de Chantilly in France. The exhibition marks the first time the public has been permitted to view the gemstone since it was stolen in a heist almost 100 years ago.
The diamond was taken during an overnight raid on the Château in October 1926. It was recovered several weeks later after being hidden inside a hollowed-out apple at a hotel. According to the museum, the gem was discovered when a maid at the hotel attempted to eat the fruit. Mathieu Deldicque, director of the Condé Museum, stated that while the account appears unusual, it was documented by newspapers during the period of the recovery.
The current exhibition at the Condé Museum features the diamond alongside previously unseen archival materials and recent academic studies regarding the gem's physical properties. Deldicque noted that this scientific analysis was conducted to ensure the stone is uniquely identifiable. The director declined to disclose the specific insurance value of the diamond but noted security concerns following recent thefts at other European cultural institutions, including a robbery of jewelry from the Louvre in Paris.
For the general public, the return of the jewel provides access to an artifact that has been largely withheld from view since the 1926 theft. Visitors will notice the results of modern academic research integrated into the display, which the museum uses to verify the diamond's authenticity and provenance. The history of the stone, which was first recorded in a 1740 inventory of the Prince of Condé, highlights the legal and physical preservation of French heritage items bequeathed by the Duke of Aumale to the Institut de France.
The exhibition is scheduled to remain open through January 3. No further details regarding future tours or permanent display changes were reported. The museum has not announced new security protocols beyond the mention of the diamond's unique identification markers. Future auctions of similar stones may further influence the market value of the collection, though the Grand Condé remains part of a permanent bequest that limits its sale.