Grand Duchess Hilda’s Tiara Stolen

Handout image provided by the Badisches Landesmuseum

Sad news to report from the jewelry world today: the grand diamond tiara once owned by Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden has been stolen from its home in a Karlsruhe museum.

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The Associated Press reports that the tiara was discovered to be missing from the Badisches Landesmuseum on Saturday, April 29. The tiara was taken from a locked display in the museum’s throne room. (The museum is housed in the former grand ducal palace.) Staff are reportedly perplexed about the methods the thieves used to steal the tiara, as all security measures in the museum were up to international standards. They also aren’t sure if thieves were aiming to steal the piece because of its history or because they simple wanted to remove the diamonds.

Grand Duchess Hilda (Grand Ladies Site)

The tiara, which has an estimated value of around $1.31 million, is made of gold and platinum and set with 367 diamonds. It was made for Grand Duchess Hilda, who was born a princess of Nassau, in the early part of the 20th century. The museum names the tiara’s maker as a Baden-based court jeweler, Schmidt-Staub.

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The museum’s director, Eckart Köhne, said on Monday: “The diadem is a significant piece of the history of Baden and invaluable to the museum.” The Baden-Wuerttemberg police were informed of the theft shortly after it was discovered, but with no leads, they turned to the public on Monday for help. They are currently seeking anyone with any information about the theft, including possible witnesses to the crime.