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We put a big price on jewellery, so much so that it’s regularly the target of high profile heists.
Although the method of theft might vary, there tend to be a few similarities in the big diamond heists. For starters, a successful heist almost always requires inside help. After all—we’re talking about some of the most highly guarded and secured carbon in the world. Secondly, although the thieves themselves are often apprehended by the law, the stolen diamonds are rarely retrieved.
This post is going to dive into the world of heists and look into some of the craziest jewellery thefts of all-time.
A drug-fueled teenager who took part in a $200,000 jewellery heist in Melbourne was spared jail time earlier this year, thanks to his character. 19-year-old Akon Mawien had smoked the potent drug ice before ransacking two different jewellery stores with an accomplice. Thankfully, the general public managed to restrain the two criminals before the police arrived to clean things up.
One of the most surreal jewellery heists took place in an exclusive jewellery store in Paris, France, and features a group of robbers named the Pink Panthers. The criminals, dressed as women, herded customers and employees into the corner of the high-end jewellery store and began smashing display cases for the bounty within. The crew escaped with a staggering $108 million in diamonds, and have yet to be caught.
In 1913, a British jeweller known as Max Mayer owned an exquisite and highly sought after strand of priceless, matched pink pearls. As word spread of Mayer’s one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to steal the pearls.
Joseph Grizzard, a known jewel thief, stepped up to the plate and pulled off a truly inspired heist. He somehow managed to retrieve the pearl necklace from inside of a sealed box, which was placed with thousands of other identical boxes and buried in hundreds of identical mailbags. To add insult to injury, Grizzard even left a replacement piece—11 French sugar cubes wrapped in newspaper.
Want to find out how you can keep your jewellery safe and sound? Contact the friendly team at Q Report on 1300 882 018.
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