Man Allegedly Swallows ‘Octopussy’-Themed Fabergé Egg in Theft Attempt

Police are monitoring the suspect around the clock waiting for the locket to reappear.

Fabergé
The Fabergé pendant swallowed by a thief at Auckland. Fabergé
LUKE FUNK
LUKE FUNK

It’s not quite a case for James Bond, but a New Zealand man is under arrest after allegedly trying to steal a 007-inspired diamond-studded Fabergé egg locket by swallowing it.

Police at Auckland say the man picked up a limited-edition Fabergé James Bond “Octopussy” Egg pendant at a jewelry store and swallowed it in a theft attempt. The jewel retails for US$19,000 in New Zealand, police said.

Only 50 of the pieces were created. They are about three inches tall and crafted from 18 carat yellow gold and hand-painted with green enamel that looks similar to the enamel used on the Fabergé egg featured in the 1983 film “Octopussy,” according to Fabergé. It is set with 183 white diamonds and two blue sapphires. Each piece takes more than a week to complete.

“In true Fabergé style, the beautiful egg locket also offers a surprise — opening to reveal a miniature 18k gold octopus inside, capturing the spirit of the film’s namesake,” according to a description on the Fabergé website. The octopus is set with two black diamond eyes.

The suspect was arrested quickly after the theft and police say they are watching him around the clock since the pendant has not reappeared yet.

“Given this man is in police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred,” police inspector Grae Anderson told Radio New Zealand.

The man’s identity was not released. He is due in court on December 8.

Fabergé is a historic Russian jewelry house that created jeweled eggs for Russian czars.

On Tuesday, Fabergé’s Winter Egg sold at auction for a record $30.2 million. The piece was commissioned from Fabergé by Emperor Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1913.

The modern company produces luxury jewelry and objects and creates collections based on popular culture. It previously created a Game of Thrones line of jewelry.


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