Dresden Treasures Returned, but Some Broken or Still Missing
January 18, 23
(IDEX Online) - Priceless jewels have been recovered after the $129m heist at The Green Vault museum, in Dresden, Germany - but many have been damaged.
And some of the most valuable items from one of Europe's greatest art collections are still missing.
Three of the six defendants being tried for the raid, in November 2019, changed their pleas to guilty on Monday, having returned 31 fragments from the stolen items in exchange for lighter sentences.
They left behind DNA traces, despite trying cover their tracks with foam from a fire extinguisher, Dresden District Court heard.
But many of the diamonds appear cloudy and grayish in color, suggesting they were submerged in water for a long time. And there are traces of a white powder, probably used to remove fingerprints.
One diamond-encrusted pieces had been broken into nine fragments, the court heard.
And there is still no sign of the "showpieces of the collection" - the 50-carat Saxon White diamond, a sash studded with 650 diamonds, or Queen Amalia Augusta's necklace.
A total of 4,300 diamonds were stolen in what has been described as the world's biggest gem heist.