Jewels stolen on way to exhibition

ROME, Italy -- Jewellery by a famous designer has been stolen in transit from New York to Rome, the Associated Press news agency said.

Curator of the Museo del Corso, Francesco Maria Messina, said that 15 of the 26 pieces by art deco master Erte had been taken.

The pieces had been loaned by private collectors to the museum.

He said: "The external packaging of the box we received was intact. But when we opened it, we saw that a smaller package had been tampered with and almost all the jewelry was missing."

Investigators believe the heist occurred prior to the package arriving at Italian customs, probably in the U.S..

Museum spokeswoman Anna Santi is unsure yet of what happened, but said: "It's a matter of American competence."

The exhibit, which is scheduled to open Wednesday, showcases 180 items by Romain de Tirtoff, better known as Erte.

Furniture, jewellery and sculptures designed by the Russian-born fashion illustrator and costume designer, will be displayed.

One of the stolen pieces was "Foxes," a fragile gold necklace decorated with fox head designs made out of diamonds.

"Soleil Noir," a pearl and diamond ring, and golden earrings called "Cascade III," will be displayed.

De Tirtoff reached his peak of celebrity in the 1920s in Paris. He died in 1990 at the age of 98.

No estimation of the stolen jewellery's worth was given.