Jaguar loses US$200,000 diamond mounted on car

Diamonds might be forever but not when embedded in the nose of a Formula One car, as Jaguar discovered on Sunday.

Team spokesman Nav Sidhu said after Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix that a US$200,000 gem had gone missing when Austrian rookie Christian Klien crashed his car nose first into the guardrail at the Mirabeau corner.

The diamond had been positioned on the nose following a sponsorship deal with a diamond company.

The Jaguar cars were also advertising the forthcoming Hollywood movie Ocean's 12, which involves a diamond heist.

Sidhu said the gem had gone by the time the car, hoisted off the track during the race, returned to the garages much later.

"We may not have got the best result on the track this weekend but we have certainly left our mark in Monaco by adding to the glamor," said Sidhu.

"Somebody here is going to walk away with more than just a normal motor racing keepsake.

"I don't expect we are going to get it back at all but we were prepared for this otherwise we would never have done it."