Ancient Bracelet Stolen from Cairo Museum—Then Melted Down

A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet that once belonged to an ancient Egyptian pharaoh was stolen from a restoration lab at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and, unbelievably, melted down for scrap after being sold through a chain of dealers.

Egyptian officials say the bracelet, which was adorned with a single spherical lapis-lazuli bead and traced to Pharaoh Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty, went missing while staff were preparing artifacts for an overseas exhibition. The theft reportedly occurred on Sept. 9; the ministry says the restoration lab did not have internal security cameras.

Investigators say the object passed from a museum restoration specialist to a silver trader, then to a gold workshop owner, and finally to a smelter, who melted it down and reused the gold in other pieces. Authorities say the chain of sales fetched only about $3,800 to $4,000, a mere pittance compared with the bracelet’s cultural and scientific value.

Four suspects, including the restoration worker, have been detained in connection with the case; prosecutors and antiquities units are continuing the investigation as public outrage mounts. Experts and activists have sharply criticized the museum’s procedures and called for tighter controls, some urging a pause on lending artifacts abroad until security can be guaranteed.

For collectors and dealers, the loss is a blunt reminder of two things: provenance matters, and so does conservation infrastructure. A tiny band of gold that survived three millennia contained scientific clues (materials, manufacturing marks, context) that can never be reclaimed from melted bullion. That’s a loss to scholarship and the public trust in institutions charged with stewardship.

Egyptian authorities released photos showing the bracelet and the suspects; the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has referred the matter to prosecutors and said the proceeds have been seized.

As the investigation became public, social media erupted after it was revealed that a museum restoration specialist allegedly stole the 3,000-year-old bracelet and seemingly didn’t recognize its importance. Many are mourning that an artifact that survived millennia is now lost.

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