Grand Condé Pink Diamond Returns to Chantilly for Centennial Display

Key points

• The nine-carat, pear-shaped Grand Condé diamond is on display at the Condé Museum in Chantilly, located 50km north of Paris, until January 3, 2026.
• The gem was stolen in October 1926 during an overnight raid on the Château de Chantilly and hidden inside a hollowed-out apple.
• The diamond was recovered weeks later when a maid at the thieves' hotel bit into the apple, revealing the hidden stone.
• The exhibition features extensive academic studies to create a unique 'identity card' for the diamond, alongside previously unseen archive material regarding its history and theft.
• The Grand Condé is one of the few royal jewels to survive the French Revolution, with origins traced back to a 1740 inventory of Louis Henri de Bourbon.

Background

The Grand Condé has a complex history, having passed from the Prince of Condé to Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily, then to her son, Prince Henri of Orléans, before being bequeathed to the Institut de France. The 1926 theft was a notable amateur crime, resolved by the accidental discovery of the diamond in an apple by a hotel maid. Recent concerns about security in European cultural institutions, including a daylight robbery at the Louvre, have prompted heightened scrutiny for this exhibition.

Why it matters

The display highlights the fragility of cultural heritage and the importance of forensic identification for high-value artifacts. It also serves as a reminder of the unique history of the Grand Condé, a rare pink diamond that survived the French Revolution and a century-old theft, now protected by advanced scientific analysis.

What to watch

The exhibition will remain open at the Condé Museum until January 3, 2026. The museum has implemented extensive security measures and forensic identification protocols to protect the diamond, given recent high-profile thefts in European museums.