The crown of Empress Eugénie, stolen during a dramatic heist at the Louvre Museum, will be restored and put back on display, according to museum director Laurence Des Cars. Nearly three weeks after the brazen theft, Des Cars announced that the recovered crown's most valuable components - its diamonds and emeralds - remain intact, though some smaller pieces are missing. She described the crown's eventual return as "a beautiful symbol of the Louvre's renaissance."
Speaking on franceinfo on Friday, November 7, Des Cars explained that "we will need some time for its restoration." The fact that the thieves abandoned such a precious piece after stealing eight other Crown Jewels of France was considered unexpected good fortune. The other stolen jewelry remains missing and has not been located by authorities.
The crown in question is a masterpiece created by goldsmith Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier, belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The elaborate piece is set with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, symbolizing the luxury and refinement of the Second Empire. Its complex structure features eight eagle-shaped gold arches that converge under a diamond globe, surrounded by thirty-two emeralds and topped with a cross made of six brilliant-cut diamonds.
Des Cars provided details about the damage sustained during the theft, stating that "initial assessments by the decorative arts department team confirm that the crown was damaged, likely during its extraction from the display case through the small opening made by the angle grinder." The heist occurred on October 19, when four men executed their plan in just seven to eight minutes. Two masked individuals accessed the Apollo Gallery using a service elevator, broke a window and the jewelry display cases with angle grinders, then escaped on scooters driven by their accomplices.
Regarding the crown's condition, Des Cars clarified that "the most important pieces, the diamonds and emeralds, are intact. However, some small diamond pieces are missing, as well as one gold eagle out of the eight that were present on the crown." She added optimistically that "we already have patrons who have offered to help with this restoration. We will establish a scientific committee that will oversee this restoration process."
The restoration efforts come as the Louvre faces broader security and infrastructure challenges. On Thursday, France's Court of Auditors published a damning report indicating that the famous Parisian museum "prioritized visible and attractive operations" at the expense of investing in security measures. Des Cars called the report "severe" but assured that she has "taken full measure" of the security problems since her arrival in 2021.
According to the museum director, security issues are just one of several challenges facing the institution, including congestion at the Pyramid entrance and problems with the presentation of the Mona Lisa. The crown will soon return to its place among the museum's collections, but significant security upgrades and renovations at the Louvre remain to be addressed. The successful recovery and planned restoration of Empress Eugénie's crown represents a rare piece of positive news following one of the most audacious museum thefts in recent French history.
