"I'm just wearing my diamonds and pearls," said Lupita Nyong'o on the Oscar red carpet, making reference to a Prince song, but in fact the pearls, at lest, were fake. Now thieves who stole the dress have returned it after discovering that what could have been a £73,000 haul is actually worth next to nothing.
The dress went missing from the star's room at the London West Hollywood Hotel sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon, and police had been scouring the area for clues. Although it retains some value even as a fake, as it was a custom piece from Calvin Klein, it would not be able to be sold intact. While there is a market for rare art pieces among unscrupulous collectors, the dress was not designed for display and it would be unlikely that could find anyone the right shape to wear it as well as Nyong'o did. The thieves were clearly after what were supposedly natural Japanese Akoya pearls, some of the most valuable such jewels available.
Michael White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says he will still pursue the case because theft is theft regardless of what is taken.
