Chopard, the Swiss watch, jewellery and accessories company, whose name has long been synonymous with the world’s most glamorous film event, the Cannes Film Festival, has been a victim of robbery at this year’s gala.
However despite a flurry of media reports in the last few days claiming that a brazen thief or thieves escaped with more than US$1 million of Chopard jewellery in the May 14 robbery Chopard is adamant the figure is much exaggerated.
In an official statement issued after the robbery, Chopard said that although the company can’t reveal the total value of the jewellery stolen from an employee’s room “the value of the pieces stolen is far lower than those in the figures circulating in the media”.
The statement also said the stolen jewellery was not part of the collection to be worn by actresses during the Festival.
Meanwhile Reuters reports that a police source has confirmed that the entire safe was removed and taken from the room at the Suite Novetel hotel in central Cannes without someone forcing the door or using a magnetic key card to gain entry.
Sofia Coppola’s new film, ‘The Bling Ring’, about a gang of celebrity-obsessed teens who break into stars’ homes to steal their possessions, is believed to have been premiering in the city at the same time.
The partnership between Chopard and the Cannes Film Festival began in 1998 when Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele and the team of Chopard master craftsmen redesigned the film festival’s award – The Golden Palm award.
Celebrities wearing Chopard at this year’s event include Cara Delevingne, Fan Bing Bing, Julianne Moore, Georgia May Jagger, Cindy Crawford and Lana del Rey.