Paris has form when it comes to jewellery theft. One night in September 1792 some 40 thieves broke into the Hôtel du Garde-Meuble on the Place de la Concorde and made off with the crown jewels. Now known as the Hôtel de la Marine, the building is home to highlights from the Al Thani Collection, built up by Sheik Hamid bin Abdullah Al Thani and comprising a range of historic artworks and decorative objects – including jewellery. This exhibition, organised by the Al Thani Collection with the Victoria and Albert Museum, brings together an array of jewelled items from some of the world’s most illustrious collections, including those of the Louvre and the Royal Collection Trust, as well as from aristocratic families (10 December–6 April 2026). The show makes clear how these jewels often had a public purpose: they were flaunted to gain social or political advantage, given by suitors to express their ardour, or passed down as treasured family heirlooms.
Find out more from the Hôtel de la Marine’s website.
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