Chopard hit by jewellery raid at Cannes

In a scenario worthy of a Hollywood movie plot (pun intended), multiple media sources have reported that the thief – or thieves – broke into a Chopard employee’s hotel room in the early hours of Friday 17 May and removed a wall safe before escaping with the jewellery. 

 

Chopard international communications director Raffaella Rossiello confirmed at a news conference that jewellery had been stolen from the Novotel hotel but did not place a monetary value on the stolen pieces.

 

"An employee of the Chopard house has been the victim of a robbery last night in their hotel room while they were not on the premises. There is currently a police investigation under way so we can only let you know that the value of the pieces stolen is far lower than those in the figures circulating in the media,” Rossiello said. 

 

She also countered media reports that the jewellery collection was to be worn by movie stars on the festival’s red carpet.  

 

French police are studying the hotel's surveillance video in an attempt to identify the robbers. 

 

Police spokesman Bernard Mascarelli said that the theft was probably the action of more than one person, adding: "There must have been either inside complicity or people who knew that the person had jewels."

 

Chopard has become synonymous with the festival, even designing the coveted Palme d'Or award that goes to the winning film each year. The company has been a major sponsor of the event for 16 years.

 

This year’s festival commenced on Wednesday 15 May and celebrities including Julianne Moore, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne and Lana Del Rey have already been seen wearing Chopard jewellery.

 

Coincidently, the theft occurred on the same day as the screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. The film – which is one of the festival’s most talked-about movies and based on real-life events – depicts a group of Los Angeles teenagers who steal jewellery and clothes from the homes of celebrities. 

 

According to reports, thefts do occur during the annual 12-day bash, but police said they had no knowledge of any loss as big as Friday's heist.

 

The Cannes International Film Festival is an annual event held in Cannes, France. It is one of the most prestigious and publicised film festivals in the world.