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Man Arrested After Allegedly Swallowing Fabergé Egg Pendant
The man was charged with theft, accused of ingesting the necklace while in a jewelry store in Auckland, New Zealand.
A man was arrested in an Auckland, New Zealand, jewelry store late last week after he allegedly swallowed this “Fabergé x 007 Octopussy Egg Surprise” locket. (Image courtesy of Fabergé’s Facebook page)
Auckland—A New Zealand man has been charged with theft after allegedly swallowing a special-edition Fabergé pendant in an Auckland jewelry store.
According to a report by The Guardian, on the afternoon of Nov. 28, police were called to Partridge Jewellers in Auckland after the 32-year-old picked up the pendant, put it in his mouth, and then swallowed it whole.
Auckland police responded within minutes and arrested the man, said the report.
The same man also was charged with allegedly stealing an iPad from the same jewelry store earlier that month, as per the report.
The necklace he swallowed was a “Fabergé x 007 Octopussy Egg Surprise” locket. It’s listed as retailing for $16,500 on the Fabergé website, though news reports put the locket’s value at 33,585 New Zealand dollars, or about $19,400.
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According to a report by The Guardian, on the afternoon of Nov. 28, police were called to Partridge Jewellers in Auckland after the 32-year-old picked up the pendant, put it in his mouth, and then swallowed it whole.
Auckland police responded within minutes and arrested the man, said the report.
The same man also was charged with allegedly stealing an iPad from the same jewelry store earlier that month, as per the report.
The necklace he swallowed was a “Fabergé x 007 Octopussy Egg Surprise” locket. It’s listed as retailing for $16,500 on the Fabergé website, though news reports put the locket’s value at 33,585 New Zealand dollars, or about $19,400.
The piece is crafted in 18-karat yellow gold with green guilloché enamel, set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires, suspended on a yellow gold chain.
The egg opens to reveal a golden octopus inside with two black diamond eyes.
The piece was inspired by the 1983 film “Octopussy” in which James Bond must solve the murder of a spy found dead in East Germany clutching a fake Fabergé egg.
As of Thursday, no reports had emerged about the necklace’s recovery.
The 32-year-old suspect is in custody and will appear in district court on Dec. 8, according to The Guardian report.
The New Zealand police department did not respond to a request for a statement on the incident.
The suspect in the New Zealand snatch-and-swallow theft is not alone in his attempt to steal jewelry by ingesting it.
In March, a man in Florida allegedly stole almost $800,000 worth of diamond jewelry from a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando and then ate it during a traffic stop.
The two pairs of earrings were later recovered.
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