An 11 minute raid. Six smashed display cases. Twenty-seven works gone, including one of Rene Lalique's most symbolic jewels: the Woman Dragonfly With Open Wings pendant.
In episode 125 of Gem Pursuit, Matthew tells the story of the Lalique Museum Heist. This time the setting is smaller, but the loss is deeply painful for anyone who cares about jewellery history: 27 works by Rene Lalique stolen from the Musee Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace.
Matthew begins with the reason Lalique matters. His jewellery was not valuable only because of gold, diamonds or precious stones. Lalique used glass, enamel, horn, ivory and semi-precious stones to make jewellery whose real value sits in design, technique, cultural importance and imagination.
The episode then reconstructs the theft itself: three masked men, an early morning break-in, sledgehammers, six display cases and an alarm response that appears to have failed at the worst possible moment.
Matthew also looks at the practical problem facing the thieves afterwards. These pieces are recognisable, fragile and difficult to sell openly, while breaking them up would destroy much of what makes them valuable.
The episode closes with the wider question raised by the Lalique and Louvre thefts: how should museums protect vulnerable objects while still allowing the public to see the real thing?
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