$4.3M Royal Diamond Necklace Stolen in Daylight Robbery in Vienna Museum Raid

Vienna: Austrian authorities have launched an international manhunt after two thieves smashed a glass display case inside Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in broad daylight, fleeing with a historic diamond necklace valued at over $4.3 million.

The raid occurred during regular visiting hours at the museum. According to police investigators, two unmasked men purchased standard admission tickets to enter the museum's "Glanzstücke" exhibition before approaching the central display case.

One suspect reportedly brandished what witnesses believed to be a firearm while the other shattered the protective glass with a hammer, snatched the piece, and fled on foot into the city centre.

No staff or visitors were injured during the incident, as security personnel were instructed not to engage armed perpetrators.

The Stolen Artefact & Its History

The stolen masterpiece is one of the most notable creations from Parisian luxury jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels:

A platinum collar encrusted with 673 brilliant-cut white diamonds totalling over 200 carats.

Commissioned in 1939 for Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt, who wore the piece to the royal wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the future Shah of Iran.

The necklace last sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2015 for $4.3 million and was on loan to the MAK as part of a 500-piece retrospective spanning 120 years of high jewellery design.

Ongoing Manhunt & Security Concerns

Vienna police, supported by tracking dog units and forensic specialists, immediately secured the scene and released surveillance camera footage of the suspects.

Austrian authorities suspect the robbery was likely a target-specific "contract job" carried out on behalf of an organised criminal syndicate.

INTERPOL has added the 673-diamond necklace to its global Stolen Works of Art database to prevent illicit resale.

Art crime experts note that an internationally documented historic jewel of this calibre is virtually impossible to liquidate intact through legitimate markets.

The Vienna heist marks the latest in a wave of high-profile museum robberies across European cultural institutions, renewing debates over venue security when faced with brazen, daytime smash-and-grab tactics.