<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 3000-year-old gold bracelet was stolen from an Egyptian museum and irreversibly destroyed, authorities say.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The priceless artefact, which once belonged to King Amenemope, was discovered missing from a laboratory's safe. It had been lost since September 9.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now, according to Reuters, the country's Interior Ministry has confirmed the bracelet was melted down and sold.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/jimmy-kimmel-show-yanked-what-happened-behind-the-scenes-that-led-to-suspension/0953a991-a292-438b-8a62-34c5314325f0" rel="" target="" title="What happened behind the scenes that led to Jimmy Kimmel's suspension"><strong><span>What happened behind the scenes that led to Jimmy Kimmel's suspension</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The bracelet, adorned with blue lapis lazuli beads, was a significant piece from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its disappearance prompted the formation of a special committee to scrutinise the lab's inventory.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Officials also took action to prevent the bracelet from leaving the country, distributing its image to border control points.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/pharaohs-priceless-bracelet-stolen-from-museum-melted-down-and-sold/8ce65a8a-957b-4a76-acab-7404781dccc4" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, the artifact had already been tracked down to a museum restoration specialist who had allegedly taken it, Reuters reported the ministry as saying.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The specialist sold the item to a silver trader, who then sold it to a workshop owner.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the final act, the bracelet was sold to a gold smelter where it was melted down and recast. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The ministry announced that all suspects have been apprehended, and the proceeds from the sale, approximately 194,000 Egyptian pounds (about $6100), have been confiscated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This incident has cast a shadow over the upcoming Grand Egyptian Museum's opening in November. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Tourism is a key industry for Egypt's economy, and the new museum, located near the Pyramids of Giza, is designed to be a major attraction showcasing the country's ancient heritage.</span></div></div>