If you’re like me, “royal jewels” only means the British crown jewels.
And you might not have known that Qatar’s emeritus ruler Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has apparently the world’s best collection of Mughal-era Indian jewelry until a daring jewel theft happened on the last day of the collection’s showing at the Doge Palace in Venice in 2018.
Apparently this collection is so unique that the thieves will find unloading the pair of earrings and the jeweled brooch they stole very difficult. (That’s not much loot, but it’s still worth millions.)
While we are all waiting for a movie to be made about this crime, let’s take a closer look at that amazing collection.
First, here is a video made while some of it was on display in London during the winter of 2015-2016.
Now here is a roughly 30-minute YouTube video of the collection.
I don’t know which pieces were stolen, but the whole thing leaves me a little breathless!
Update, June 7, 2020: Arrests were made in late 2018, but I could find no word on possible conviction.
And, as of last summer, the Pink Panthers remain at large.
Seriously.
I begin to see why Hollywood is waiting on the movie . . .
Original 2018 post edited June 7, 2018.
Featured image: Turban jewels in the Al Thani Collection, by Val McG via the Wikipedia Loves Art campaign. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Flight To Wonder 
