Will the US$1.1 billion gems stolen from the Dresden Green Vault museum ever be seen again?
Notable gems in the collection include a 648-carat blue sapphire, believed to be worth over US$30 million, as well as the 49.71-carat, near-D colour Saxon White, worth an estimated US$12 million
Speculation in the art world is mounting as to whether an estimated €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) worth of gems stolen from the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Germany, will ever be seen again.
One jewel expert fears that 100 pieces, including three historical jewellery sets, that went missing in the dawn raid on Monday are likely to be taken apart and sold unless they end up in an oligarch’s private collection.
“This is a jewellery theft of historic proportions,” says jewellery expert and industry insider Tobias Kormind.
German media has called the theft one of the greatest heists in art history and the most significant loss of historical artefacts since World War II.
Marion Ackermann, head of the Dresden state museums, confirmed the robbery. “Three out of 10 diamond sets have gone,” she told the media, though she didn’t go into further details about the 100 pieces that were removed.
The jewels were taken from the museum after two suspects set off an alarm in a different room inside the museum as a decoy. The fear of losing these historic gems forever is mounting.
