Police in New Zealand said Friday that they had recovered a Fabergé egg pendant worth $19,000, six days after a man was
accused of swallowing it at a jewelry store in an effort to steal it.
The 32-year-old man, who has not been named by authorities, had been closely watched since Nov. 28, when he was arrested
after being accused of trying to steal the James Bond-inspired pendant by swallowing it at a Partridge Jewelers store in
Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city. Police said they responded to a call by the store’s staff.
A photo released by police showed the pendant, which they said was recovered Thursday night, being held by a gloved
hand. The slim 20-inch-long gold chain still had the price tag attached, showing a value of more than 33,000 New Zealand
“No medical intervention was required and the pendant passed naturally,” police said in a statement.
The suspect remains in custody until his appearance before the Auckland district court on Monday. He did not enter a
plea to a charge of theft at his first court appearance on Saturday.
Crafted from 18-carat yellow gold and set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires, the special-edition pendant —
which is the size of a large fingernail — has “subtle nods” to the 1983 James Bond film “Octopussy” woven into its
design, according to Fabergé’s website.
In the film, Bond engages in a bidding war at an auction over a “superb green-gold imperial Easter egg by Carl Fabergé,”
which he then swaps for a fake one.
“The exterior of the egg closely follows the design of the Fabergé egg featured in the film,” according to the website,
which adds that the locket opens to reveal a miniature 18-carat gold octopus inside set with two black diamond eyes.
The man accused of swallowing the pendant underwent a medical assessment following his arrest and was monitored by
police around the clock in the hope that it would emerge on its own.
“An officer is assigned to constantly monitor the man,” Auckland Central Area Commander Inspector Grae Anderson said
Wednesday before the pendant had been recovered.
“Given this man is in Police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what