Historic Green Vault, Jewel Room Display.
Law enforcement is offering a $1 million reward for information relating to the theft of more than a billion dollars in diamonds. Last week, ax-wielding thieves broke through a window of the Dresden Palace, a historic complex that houses four museums. They proceeded straight to the Green Vault, a gallery housing a priceless collection of Baroque diamond jewelry. The team of thieves, which are assumed to be professionals, had disabled the museum’s security system by starting an electrical fire that left the building and neighboring streets without lights. Covering their tracks using fire extinguishers, the thieves were in and out within five minutes and a burned-out escape vehicle was later found nearby. As more time passes since the theft, fears increase that the jewelry, which are important artifacts of Saxony history, will be dismantled and sold for parts. Here are ten of the glittering jewels now missing from the Green Vault.
