Current:Home > InvestBritish Museum asks public to help recover stolen gems and jewelry-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
British Museum asks public to help recover stolen gems and jewelry
View Date:2025-01-14 05:29:19
The British Museum is seeking the public's help as it works to locate and recover thousands of missing artifacts believed to have been stolen from their collections.
After announcing in August that roughly 2,000 items were unaccounted for and likely stolen from the museum, officials confirmed in a news release out Tuesday that 60 of those missing works had been returned. Another 300 items had been identified as belonging to the museum and were "due to be returned imminently," they said.
Museum officials unveiled a new webpage along with their latest update on the recovery effort. The page offers a more detailed view of what types of artifacts have been lost and what they look like, providing images of similar works still in the museum's possession. A vast majority of the missing items come from the British Museum's Department of Greece and Rome, and primarily consist of gems and jewelry, bearing likeness to the ones showcased in images on the new site.
"Gems, cameos or intaglios are small objects, often set in rings or other settings, or left unmounted and unfinished. They may be made of semi-precious stone (for example sard, sardonyx, amethyst) or glass; they may be cast from a mould or engraved by hand," reads a message posted online.
"The majority of gems are from the Hellenistic and Roman world, but some may also have been made in modern times in imitation of ancient gems," it continues. "They may feature images of famous individuals from the Classical past, of mythological scenes, animals or objects. These gems are of varied quality."
The museum said it has registered all missing artifacts with the Art Loss Register, an online database, and has started to collaborate with an international panel of gem and jewelry specialists helping to identify items that were lost. It has also set up an email hotline where people can submit information that might help the recovery effort.
"We believe we have been the victim of thefts over a long period of time and frankly more could have been done to prevent them," George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum, told BBC Radio 4 in August. Osborne, who was appointed chair in 2021, noted in that interview that "[s]ome members of the antiquarian community are actively cooperating with us" and he believed "honest people" would return items that were suspected to be, or turned out to be, stolen.
However, "others may not," he added, according to the BBC.
Shortly after announcing that artifacts had vanished, the British Museum fired a staff member on suspicion of stealing and damaging item, including gold, gems and glass dating back centuries, officials said in mid-August, noting at the time that the museum would be taking legal action against the former worker. An investigation also got underway by the Economic Crime Command branch of the Metropolitan Police.
"An independent review will be led by former trustee Sir Nigel Boardman, and Lucy D'Orsi, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police," the museum said in August. "They will look into the matter and provide recommendations regarding future security arrangements at the Museum. They will also kickstart – and support – a vigorous programme to recover the missing items."
The British Museum continues to work with Metropolitan Police as they attempt to recover the artifacts. Officials said last month that most of the missing items were small pieces previously held in a storeroom that belonged to one of the museum's collections, and were mainly kept for academic and research purposes rather than public display.
- In:
- United Kingdom
veryGood! (721)
Related
- GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
- 50 Cent throws microphone into crowd, reportedly hitting concertgoer: Video
- Civil rights group wants independent probe into the record number of deaths in Alaska prisons
- A glacier baby is born: Mating glaciers to replace water lost to climate change
- Maine dams face an uncertain future
- Boy struck and killed by a car in Florida after a dog chased him into the street
- Workplace safety officials slap Albuquerque, contractor with $1.1M fine for asbestos exposure
- Court revives doctors’ lawsuit saying FDA overstepped its authority with anti-ivermectin campaign
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- Americans have long wanted the perfect endless summer. Jimmy Buffett offered them one
Ranking
- Klay Thompson returns to Golden State in NBA Cup game. How to watch
- Killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison is spotted nearby on surveillance cameras
- New Research Shows Direct Link Between Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Polar Bear Decline
- Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers says Giants' Jihad Ward is 'making (expletive) up'
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- Former prosecutor who resigned from Russia probe investigation tapped for state Supreme Court post
- How billion-dollar hurricanes, other disasters are starting to reshape your insurance bill
- PETA is offering $5,000 for information on peacock killed by crossbow in Las Vegas neighborhood
Recommendation
-
Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
-
Pope praises Mongolia’s tradition of religious freedom from times of Genghis Khan at start of visit
-
Whatever happened to the 'period day off' policy?
-
Jobs Friday: More jobs and more unemployment
-
The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
-
ACC adding Stanford, Cal, SMU feels like a new low in college sports
-
Massive 920-pound alligator caught in Central Florida: 'We were just in awe'
-
NC trooper fatally shoots man in an exchange of gunfire after a pursuit and crash