Grand Condé pink diamond returns to public view in France after theft

The rare nine-carat pink diamond known as the Grand Condé has gone on public display at the Château de Chantilly in France, almost 100 years after it was stolen. Its return matters because the gem is one of the few royal jewels to survive the French Revolution and has not been shown publicly since the 1926 theft.

The pear-shaped diamond was taken during an overnight raid and hidden inside a hollowed-out apple; it was recovered weeks later after a hotel maid bit into it. The exhibition runs until 3 January and includes new research to help identify the stone, alongside previously unseen archival material. Its origins remain uncertain, though it was recorded in an inventory in 1740; natural pink diamonds are exceptionally rare, with one reaching $71.2m at auction in 2017.