Damaged crown of Empress Eugénie to be restored
The crown worn by French Empress Eugénie was badly damaged after thieves dropped it while fleeing a high-profile raid at the Louvre last October. Despite its crushed appearance, the museum has confirmed that the historic jewel is largely intact and can be fully restored. The headpiece, which belonged to the wife of Emperor Napoleon III, was among jewels valued at an estimated 88 million euros stolen during the break-in. Unlike other items taken, the diamond-studded crown was abandoned along the escape route after the thieves struggled to remove it through a narrow opening cut into its glass display case. In the first images released since the theft, the Louvre said the crown was left “badly deformed,” with its decorations pushed inward. One of the eight golden eagles that adorned the crown is missing, but all 56 emeralds remain in place, […]