Police recover swallowed Fabergé pendant after six-day wait

Friday, 5 December 2025 21:45

New Zealand police say they have recovered a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant after six days of closely watching the man accused of swallowing the jewellery.

New Zealand police say they have recovered a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant after six days of closely watching the man accused of swallowing the jewellery in an Auckland store.

They said the pendant was recovered on Thursday night after it exited the suspect's gastrointestinal tract naturally without medical intervention.

The limited-edition Fabergé egg pendant was inspired by the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy, in which a jewel-smuggling operation involves a fake Fabergé egg.

A less glamorous photo supplied by New Zealand's police today showed a gloved hand holding the recovered pendant and its long, gold chain with an intact price tag showing the jewellery's $NZ33,000 ($28,700) value.

The man was arrested inside Partridge Jewellers in Auckland on November 28 shortly after the alleged theft.

He made a court appearance November 29, when he didn't enter a plea to a charge of theft. Since then, he's been in police custody and officers had been stationed around the clock with the man to wait for the evidence to reemerge.

The 32-year-old man has not been publicly named. He is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday and will remain in police custody until then.

"Given this man is in police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred," Inspector Grae Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday.

The store's website says the egg, one of only 50 made, was crafted from gold, painted with green enamel and encrusted with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. The pendant is 8.4 centimetres tall and is mounted on a stand.

"The egg opens to reveal an 18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes," an item description said. "The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the center of the Octopussy film."