PARIS.- From 17 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, the Musée Condé at the Château de Chantilly, in partnership with L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, presents an exhibition chronicling the history of a legendary historic diamond: the Pink Diamond.

Known as the “Grand Condé”, the Pink Diamond is a historic gemstone weighing more than 9 carats, documented in the collections of the Princes of Condé since the 18th century. This jewel, exceptional in both colour and provenance, was stolen in October 1926 before being recovered shortly afterwards, hidden inside an apple.

A century later, the Pink Diamond is once again on public display at this special exhibition. To mark the occasion, the Musée Condé and L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts have undertaken an extensive interdisciplinary research project, the first of its kind for a diamond of this calibre. Major gemmological and historical analyses are now revealing all its secrets.

ONE OF FRANCE’S GREAT HISTORIC DIAMONDS

Although famous diamonds readily inspire legends, their true histories often remain little known. The Pink Diamond is no exception.

The discovery of previously unpublished archives reveals that the Pink Diamond was first documented in 1740, in the inventory drawn up following the death of Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, and became one of the most important gemstones in the Condé treasury. The Pink Diamond subsequently entered the collections of Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily, who intended it for her grandson, Louis of Orléans, eldest son of the Duke of Aumale. The prince’s untimely death ultimately led to the jewel becoming part of the collection of his father, Henri of Orléans, who bequeathed it, along with the entire Musée Condé, to the Institut de France.

The 1926 burglary, during which it was stolen before being recovered several weeks later, further helped to perpetuate its air of mystery.

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES

The exhibition also reveals the results of gemmological analyses. It was conducted by a team comprising Emmanuel Fritsch, professor emeritus of physics and gemmologist at the University of Nantes, Aurélien Delaunay and Annabelle Herreweghe, director and deputy director respectively of the LFG (French Gemmological Laboratory). This research has led to a better understanding of the Pink Diamond’s exceptional properties.

In particular, the scientists demonstrated that its colour results from rarely observed physical characteristics. These discoveries considerably enrich our knowledge of historic French diamonds and open up new perspectives on the history of gemstones and jewellery.

The exhibition concludes with the story of the Pink Diamond’s disappearance, the ensuing investigation, its discovery and its return to the museum.





This event takes visitors from the splendour of princely jewellery to behind the scenes of a gemmological inquiry. Previously unseen archival material, historical photographs, press cuttings, investigation documents, scientific analyses and interpretive displays reveal the many lives of an exceptional gemstone.

CURATORSHIP

Mathieu Deldicque, chief heritage curator and director of the Musée Condé and the Living Museum of the Horse at the Château de Chantilly.

Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton, art historian and gemmologist at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.