The Grand Condé Diamond | Legendary Pink Diamond Hidden Inside an Apple Returns to Chantilly

Some diamonds are admired for their beauty. Others become important because of their rarity, their provenance, or the remarkable people who owned them. The Grand Condé Pink Diamond is extraordinary because it possesses all of these qualities - and a story that sounds almost too unusual to be true.

This exceptional 9.01-carat natural pink diamond has been part of the historic Condé collection since the 18th century. It has passed through French aristocratic hands, survived a spectacular museum theft, and was ultimately recovered hidden inside an apple.

Now, marking 100 years after that notorious theft, the Grand Condé Diamond is preparing to return to public view at the Musée Condé in Château de Chantilly, where a special exhibition in partnership with L’École des Arts Joailliers will explore its history, science, and enduring mystery.

For admirers of natural colored diamonds, it is a rare opportunity to encounter a gemstone whose story is nearly as fascinating as the stone itself.

The Grand Condé Diamond - An irregular antique pear-shaped brilliant cut natural pink diamond with orangy undertones.

(Image courtesy of Benjamin Chelly/L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts)

The Grand Condé's unusual shape and faceting are part of its identity, preserving evidence of the techniques and aesthetic preferences of an earlier era of diamond cutting - when cutters worked without many of the precision tools and modern optical theories available today. The diamond therefore represents not only a natural wonder but also an artifact of the history of diamond cutting.

A Pink Diamond with Royal History

The Grand Condé Pink Diamond entered the historical record of the Condé family in 1740, when it belonged to Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, a prominent figure in 18th-century France who served as prime minister between 1723 and 1726.

The diamond was originally mounted in a medal associated with the Order of the Golden Fleece, one of Europe's most prestigious orders of chivalry. It was later removed from the medal and mounted in a ring where it became part of the Condé family treasures.

Prince Louis-Henri de Condé died in 1830 having no surviving legitimate heirs after his only son (the Duke of Enghien) was executed by Napoleon in 1804. He named Prince Henri (the Duke of Aumale), son of Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily and King Louis-Philippe I of France, as his godson and principal heir to his immense fortune and estates, including the Grand Conde Diamond and the famous Château de Chantilly - he was only 8 years old at the time.

Queen Marie-Amélie with her sons Prince Henri, Duke of Amaule (Left) and Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (right) 

Queen Marie-Amélie later had the Grand Condé Diamond remounted into a custom pin to be passed on to her grandson - Louis of Orléans, the eldest son of the Duke of Aumale - who tragically died of illness at the young age of 20. Eventually, in 1886, the Duke of Aumale bequeathed his entire estate and collections to the Institut de France, establishing the foundation of the collection that remains at the Musée Condé (Condé Museum) today.

The Pink Diamond Heist of 1926

Perhaps the most famous chapter in the Grand Condé's story began on the night of October 11–12, 1926 - when the historic diamond was stolen from the Musée Condé in Château de Chantilly, along with more than 75 pieces of jewelry and other precious objects with a total value estimated at approximately $3 million at the time.

But among everything they stole, the Grand Condé Diamond was the jewel that would prove impossible to sell. By 1926, it was already a famous gemstone associated with French aristocracy for generations and was an instantly recognizable part of the treasures preserved at Chantilly. The distinctive pink color, size, and unusual appearance made it easily identifiable - and law enforcement agencies throughout Europe were searching for it - leaving the thieves with difficulty finding anyone willing to purchase such a notorious gemstone.

Gemologists creating an "identity card" for the diamond, using details revealed from extensive scientific analysis.

(Image courtesy of Benjamin Chelly/L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts)

The very characteristics that made the Grand Condé Pink Diamond so valuable also made it virtually impossible to dispose of.

The Grand Condé Diamond Hidden in an Apple

It wasn’t until 2 months later, in December 1926, a hotel chambermaid named Suzanne Schiltz found a leftover apple in a vacated room, feeling hungry, she bit into it and felt something hard against her teeth. Voilà, there it was – the 9.01ct missing Grand Condé Pink Diamond had been recovered.

The thieves, unable to find a buyer for such a recognizable gem, concealed the diamond in the apple before vacating the hotel room. Due to the discovery, French police were able to track down and arrest former French aviators Léon Kauffer and Émile Souter for the brazen theft at Chantilly.

The Grand Condé Diamond Returns to Chantilly

Commemorating a century since its infamous theft, beginning October 17, 2026, the Grand Condé Diamond will once again take center stage at the Château de Chantilly as part of a special exhibition presented in partnership with L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts - bringing together the diamond's extraordinary history and the results of the recent scientific research.

The Grand Condé Pink Diamond being observed under a microscope 

(Image courtesy of Benjamin Chelly/L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts)

For generations, the Grand Condé has passed through royal and aristocratic hands, survived a dramatic theft, and remained within one of France's great historic collections. Now, as the diamond returns to public view in 2026, modern science is giving researchers an opportunity to look at this historic gemstone in an entirely new way. The exhibition represents an extraordinary opportunity to see one of France's most fascinating natural pink diamonds and to appreciate the remarkable intersection of nature, diamond craftsmanship, science, and history.

From the aristocratic collections of 18th-century France to a daring 1926 theft - and from an apple in a Paris hotel to today's advanced gemological laboratories - the diamond has continued to attract attention nearly 300 years after it first entered the historical record.

For anyone fascinated by natural pink diamonds, rare colored diamonds, historic gemstones, and exceptional jewelry, the Grand Condé Diamond is a story indeed worth remembering.