The museum has now confirmed that despite its deformation, the crown is almost undamaged, and experts can restore it to its original state.
The Louvre Museum in Paris announced that they’ll be able to restore the French Empress Eugénie's crown to its original form. This is the most valuable jewel that thieves tried to steal during the October break-in at the Apollo Gallery, but they dropped it while escaping and left it behind. According to the museum, the crown is almost undamaged and will be fully restored.
The break-in occurred on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Four thieves, dressed as construction workers, reached the Louvre building with a truck equipped with a hydraulic platform, which they used to access a first-floor balcony by smashing a window and entering the Apollo Gallery.
In just a few minutes, they stole nine historical jewels belonging to French royal families, with an estimated worth of 88 million euros. One of them - the mentioned crown adorned with diamonds and emeralds, made for the Empress, wife of Napoleon III - was accidentally dropped by the perpetrators.
The museum stated that the fall significantly deformed the jewel, but it remains almost undamaged and will be restored to its original state without reconstruction. The crown still has all its parts - except for one of the eight golden eagles that adorned it. All 56 emeralds and 1344 out of 1354 diamonds have been preserved.
French authorities have detained all four suspects involved in the October break-in. However, they haven’t been able to track down its mastermind or recover the remaining stolen jewels.
