Jewellery heist rocks Cannes: Thieves steal £500,000 of gems designed for stars to wear on red carpet Drama unfolded at the upmarket resort on the French Riviera Chopard wearers this year include Cindy Crawford and Cara Delevingne More than £500,000 worth of jewellery designed to be worn by stars on the red carpet at Cannes was stolen as thieves made off with an entire safe-full today. It comes as the upmarket resort on the French Riviera hosts its annual film festival featuring actors including Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. Thieves are said to have have broken into a hotel room being used by an employee of Swiss luxury jeweller and watch maker Chopard early this morning. Stllen: More than £500,000 worth of jewellery designed to be worn by stars on the red carpet at Cannes was stolen as thieves made off with an entire safe-full today. Those seen wearing Chopard jewellery at this year's festival have included Julianne Moore, left, and Cindy Crawford, right Celebrity favourite: Cara Delevingne was snapped wearing expensive jewellery from the brand at The Great Gatsby premiere on the opening night of the festival, but these are not thought to be the particular jewels that are missing They forced a safe off a wall and made off with bracelets, necklaces and other items all containing precious stones. "The break-in was at the Novotel in the centre of town," said a police source. The room was said to be empty, and the safe was taken off the wall, before being removed. Detectives put the estimated loss at "around 775 000 euros," although the link with some of the biggest Hollywood stars in the world could give it far greater value on the black market. Commandant Bernard Mascarelli, of the Nice police, confirmed that the entire safe was screwed off the wall and then taken away. The room is on the second floor - meaning the thieves would have had to transport the safe out of the building while keeping it hidden. CCTV film at the Suite Novotel was tonight being examined by detectives, who also confirmed that a woman Chopard employee had been staying in the room. "She went out for dinner at around 8pm and didn't get back until very late the next morning," said another police source. When she got back, the safe was gone. Chopard hands out jewellery to stars for an evening in an arrangement which allows everyone to gain valuable publicity. This year there is a Chopard team of no less than 40 people in Cannes whose job it is to persuade the rich and famous to "borrow" their jewellery when they go out on the town. The jewellery firm is this year promoting a collection called "Red Carpet," which actresses including Britain's Emma Watson are encouraged to wear.Miss Watson is, by coincidence, starring in The Bling Ring. Scene of the crime: Police stand guard outside the Suite Novotel Cannes Centre hotel where £500,000 of Chopard jewellery has been stolen On display: A set of jewels, new pieces of the 'Green Carpet Collection', presented by luxury brand Chopard during the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes Chophard has provided the Palme d'Or trophy awarded to the director of the best feature film for the past 15 years. It features a 24-carat gold palm attached to a piece of cut crystal. Chopard is one of the official sponsors of the 66th annual film festival - it designs the Palme d'Or (Gold Palm) award, and creates all the jewellery for the "walking up the red carpeted steps" ritual which is broadcast across the world every year. Cannes is notorious for jewellery thefts, with organised gangs frequently targeting boutiques and hotels. Many turn of the raids turn out to be inside jobs, with staff helping the thieves to locate and then steal items. Those seen wearing Chopard jewellery at this year's festival have included Julianne Moore, Cindy Crawford and Cara Delevingne. Last year, the company's ambassadors included Eva Herzigova, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon and Marion Cotillard. Today detectives were inspecting the second floor room at the Novotel hotel for clues. The Chopard employee, who has not been identified, was also being questioned. The Novotel Hotel is situated across the road from the municipal police headquarters in Cannes. In May 2009, a Chopard boutique on the Place Vendome in Paris was raided and more than 6 million pounds worth of jewellery taken. A man was eventually sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with the crime, but the jewellery was never recovered.