Two thieves snatch £40,000 of Monroe jewellery from exhibition

Published on Wednesday 16 April 2003 01:00

POLICE were last night searching for jewellery once belonging to Marilyn Monroe which was snatched from an exhibition showcasing the star’s life.

Two thieves entered County Hall Gallery in London at around 3pm on Monday while it was packed with visitors.

Breaking into a cabinet, they seized a highly-prized three band 14-carat gold ring with a raised diamond-encrusted "M" motif, and a gold bracelet.

One of the thieves eluded security guards during a chase past the London Eye on the busy South Bank.

A suspect was arrested after a chase by the gallery’s head of security who alerted passing police officers on routine patrol. The suspect is in custody at a south London police station.

Together the bracelet, which has a cluster of clear gems in its centre, and the ring are valued at around 40,000.

The two items were on loan to the show, Marilyn Monroe - Life Of A Legend, which is billed as "the biggest ever exhibition devoted to the life of the ultimate screen icon".

The Some Like It Hot star wore both items and later gave the ring to her childhood friend Bebe Goddard and the bracelet to her "foster mother" Grace Goddard.

Highlights of the exhibition include a bed in which Monroe slept and the dress and jewellery worn on her first date with future husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

Auction house Cooper Owen was due to retrieve the jewels in September, when they were set to go under the hammer.

A Cooper Owen spokesperson would not identify the owner, but said: "I have spoken to him and he is totally devastated, very upset.

"The money is not important to him, not the issue. He has asked me if there is any chance of the items being recovered and we are hopeful that they will be."

Marilyn Monroe died in 1962 from a drugs overdose at the peak of her career. She was 36.