A legendary pink diamond that captivated French aristocracy for centuries will return to public view this fall as the centerpiece of a special exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of its sensational theft — and improbable recovery from inside an apple.
From October 17, 2026, through January 3, 2027, the Musée Condé at the Château de Chantilly will showcase the 9.01-carat Grand Condé Pink Diamond in an exhibition that celebrates the gem's remarkable journey while unveiling the results of the first comprehensive gemological and historical study ever conducted on a French diamond of its caliber.
Some of history's greatest jewels are remembered not only for their beauty, but also for the remarkable stories they carry. And few gems fit that description better than the Grand Condé Pink Diamond.
Its most colorful chapter unfolded in October 1926, when two amateur thieves stole the irregular, flat pear-shaped diamond from the museum. Hoping to conceal their prize while hiding in a modest Paris hotel, the pair hollowed out an apple and tucked the priceless gem inside. The plan was to conceal the gem from potential searches or police patrols while they planned their next move.
But the plan blew up when a hotel chambermaid named Suzanne Schiltz was cleaning the room and decided to eat the apple left behind, biting into the fruit and discovering something unexpectedly hard — the missing pink diamond.
The Grand Condé has been associated with French royalty and aristocracy for centuries. Believed to have originated in India's legendary Golconda diamond mines, the gem entered the French royal orbit in the 17th century before becoming one of the crown jewels of the powerful Princes of Condé. It later passed through the collections of Queen Marie-Amélie before ultimately becoming part of the Musée Condé's permanent holdings.
A century after the famous heist, visitors will have an opportunity not only to admire the celebrated gemstone but to also dive much deeper. The interdisciplinary research project combines gemological analysis with historical scholarship, offering fresh insights into the Grand Condé's origin, composition and remarkable path through history.
Among the most fascinating discoveries is an explanation for the diamond's delicate pink color. Unlike yellow diamonds, whose color is created by nitrogen impurities, or blue diamonds, which owe their hue to traces of boron, the Grand Condé's soft pink appearance results from intense geological pressure that subtly distorted its crystal lattice deep within the Earth. Those microscopic structural changes alter the way the diamond absorbs and reflects light, producing its exceptionally rare color without relying on chemical impurities.
The exhibition will also feature previously unpublished archival documents, historical photographs, newspaper accounts, police investigation records and interpretive displays.
The exhibition is being organized in partnership with L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Credit: Image of the Pink Diamond © L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, Benjamin Chelly.