Priceless pink diamond returns to public view in France nearly 100 years after theft

The nine-carat Grand Condé pink diamond went on display at the Château de Chantilly on October 17, nearly a century after two amateur thieves stole it in 1926 and hid it inside a hollowed-out apple. Natural diamond prices have crashed, with the average 1-carat stone dropping 51% from $8,007 in 2021 to $3,898, and the IDEX Diamond Index hitting a record low of 2,490 points in early August. Lab-grown stones, which cost up to 90% less, now feature in 61% of engagement rings sold in 2025, widening the gap between mined diamonds and precious metals like gold.