So this news was already covered two weeks ago by DutchNews.nl, but I thought it so remarkable that I felt it’d warrant another mention.
Six years ago Dawn Arnall, wife to then-US ambassador, sub-prime crisis architect and billionaire Roland Arnall, forgot her 9,000,000 US dollar jewellery in the lobby of an unnamed hotel in The Hague.
She reported the jewellery as stolen, though the press doesn’t say to whom.
Hotel staff found a satchel containing the jewellery, which was apparently so big and garish that they mistook it for costume jewellery.
Presumably neither the insurer (who paid out) nor the police bothered to check with the hotel, and the treasure went unclaimed for six months. It was then handed over to a cleaning lady who left it in her linen closet for five years, until her curiosity got the better of her.
The cleaning lady brought the jewellery for appraisement to a jeweler who, the police of The Hague joke, is probably still on artificial respiration.
She then brought the jewellery to the police, who sent it back to the US, whatever that is supposed to mean.
The jewellery consisted of a necklace containing a 4 million euro pink 5-carat diamond, and various other jewels worth 3 million euro. The finder is hoping for a reward, although it is not certain that anybody is obliged to pay one.
Since there are holes in this story big enough to park an entire zoo in, if our readers have any additional information I would sure like to hear about it.
(Photo of unrelated costume jewellery by GlitzUK, some rights reserved)
