Stolen Fabergé Egg Swallowed?! Police Recovery SHOCKS the Art World!

Well, you don't hear this every day. Police in New Zealand have recovered a rather unusual piece of stolen property: a Fabergé egg pendant, apparently swallowed by the alleged thief. Yes, you read that right. An *egg*. I've covered a lot of bizarre stories in my time, but this one definitely takes the cake.

Stolen Fabergé Egg Swallowed?! Police Recovery SHO...

The Auckland police announced Friday the recovery of the 18-karat yellow gold miniature pendant, valued at a cool US$19,200 (around CAD$26,780). Apparently, a 32-year-old man was apprehended at the scene shortly after the incident occurred on November 28th.

Now, I'm picturing the scene: A frantic jewelry store owner, a bewildered police officer, and a suspect with a very expensive, very indigestible piece of jewelry making its way through his digestive system. The cops, wisely, didn't try to force the issue. Instead, they played the waiting game.

"At the time of his arrest, he underwent a medical assessment, and an officer is assigned to constantly monitor the man," Inspector Grae Anderson said earlier this week. Can you imagine that job? Talk about dedication to duty! The officers, it seems, opted for a less invasive retrieval method than, say, surgery. And it paid off.

The precious pendant, known as the James Bond Octopussy egg, finally resurfaced Thursday night, six days after its unscheduled internal journey. I'm sure there was a collective sigh of relief amongst the authorities. The suspect is still in custody and is due back in court on December 8th, after not entering a plea during his initial appearance.

This isn't just any old pendant, mind you. We're talking about a limited-edition piece inspired by the 1983 James Bond film, *Octopussy*. It boasts green guilloché enamel and is encrusted with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires. And the coolest part? According to the Fabergé website, it opens up to reveal an 18-karat gold miniature octopus inside. It's like a Bond villain's dream come true. Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't try to make off with two.

The whole situation reads like something straight out of a movie. I guess fact really *is* stranger than fiction sometimes. Hopefully, this whole ordeal will serve as a reminder: don't swallow priceless jewelry. It's bad for your health, and even worse for your freedom.