The diamond left behind during the Louvre theft of 19 October 2025 was the Regent, a 140.64-metric-carat stone in the museum’s collection. Reuters reported that Sotheby’s estimated its value at more than US$60 million; that was a reported estimate, not an official Louvre valuation. The “curse” attached to the Regent belongs to folklore, not established fact.
What is the Regent Diamond?
The Regent is a nearly colorless, rectangular cushion-shaped diamond displayed in the Louvre’s collection. The museum records its weight as 140.64 metric carats. Its collection record says it was discovered in India’s Golconda mines in 1698, when it weighed 426 carats before cutting. It was cut in England between 1704 and 1706.
In 1717, the stone was acquired at the request of Philippe d’Orléans, then Regent of France, from whom it takes its name. It later appeared in French royal and imperial regalia, including the crowns of Louis XV and Louis XVI and settings used under Napoleon and later regimes. When the French State sold most of the Crown Jewels in 1887, it retained the Regent and assigned it to the Louvre.
Why is the Regent called “cursed”?
The curse label draws on dramatic stories about the diamond’s discovery and the deaths or misfortunes of people associated with it. One popular tale says an enslaved worker found the stone and concealed it inside a wound in his leg, before a sea captain killed him and took the diamond. That account is a legend, not a verified discovery history.
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In the Louvre podcast Le Régent – Les Enquêtes du Louvre, chief curator Anne Dion calls the leg-wound version implausible, saying it would be impossible to hide such a mass in a leg. The Louvre says the exact circumstances of discovery are uncertain, as is the diamond’s route before it came into the possession of Thomas Pitt. The museum’s expert assessment undermines that specific tale; it does not establish every detail of the stone’s early history.
Why was it left during the Louvre theft?
On 19 October 2025, thieves broke into two high-security cases in the Galerie d’Apollon. The Louvre said eight objects were stolen, while Empress Eugénie’s crown was left behind during the escape. The Regent was not taken: it remained in its case. Reuters quoted Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau saying, “I don’t have an explanation” for why the thieves did not target it.
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The Louvre’s statement about the theft and INTERPOL’s 21 October 2025 notice describe the stolen items, not a later recovery status. They do not establish why the Regent was passed over. The prosecutor’s comment underscores that the reason was not publicly explained in the reporting cited here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does “$60 million” mean—and what it does not mean
Reuters reported on 19 October 2025 that Sotheby’s estimated the Regent at more than US$60 million. This is a reported estimate, not a confirmed sale price or an official Louvre valuation. A separate Louvre figure can easily be confused with it: on 21 October, the museum estimated the overall financial loss from the theft at €88 million. That amount concerned the stolen objects collectively, not the Regent.
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The Regent also has its own history of theft. According to the Louvre collection record, it was stolen in 1792, found in 1793 and recovered by Napoleon in 1801. That documented episode is distinct from the 2025 break-in, when the diamond stayed in the museum.
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