When I returned from being out of town, I went to put on the two rings I wear every day that are family heirlooms and they weren’t in the jewelry tray I keep in my top dresser drawer. At first I didn’t panic and checked my safe and various other places I may have left them followed by tearing apart the entire house. No rings. I then noticed I had a baggy full of state quarters in the same drawer which I keep my rings which is also missing. The part that is odd, in the same ring tray is a ring financially worth a lot more than the two missing and that one wasn’t touched.
I am very upset about this and would much rather the expensive “new” ring was missing rather than these rings that I have been in the family for generations. I am heartbroken and don’t know what to do. If I report it to the police, will they contact pawn shops to see if they show up? The only person in the house was the cleaning lady I have had for years and years and when I told her she spent double her usual time pulling out furniture and crawling around on the floor to get under the bed. I trust her completely. However, she did tell me that she had a new assistant but if the assistant was going to steal from me, why not take the diamond ring but only the two platinum antique rings? Do the pawn shops get a list of possible stolen property if I report it or would I be wasting my time. I was told they have to keep property for 90 days before reselling it but there are hundreds of pawn shops around here and I don’t have pictures of these rings so doing it on my own would be near impossible. Any thoughts on what I should do? I don’t want to file an insurance claim, I really just want them back and have no problem paying for them if they can be found.
Call the cops 9not 911, the non-emergency number).
They are used to dealing with such questions, and can tell you what to do.
Possibly the stolen rins would be easier to fence & sell than a diamond one. And the quarters are obviously are cash. Probably someone (drug addict?) who wanted quick cash.
P.S. You have a safe, but left this in a dresser drawer? Maybe the rings, if you wore them frequently wore them. But the state quarters you were collecting should have been in the safe. (Just like all of us should have current backups of our computer.)
I don’t understand why you havent called the police yet. Be prepared for the fact they may want to interview the housemaid and her assistant but the two of them need to understand this is normal protocol in such a situation. Do you have any security cameras or alarm system in your home, something that will show just who has had entry?
I had an expensive camera and pocket knife stolen last year. It took me about 3 months before I accepted they were actually stolen. They were both sitting on my kitchen table in a fruit basket. I am 99% sure who took it but as usual have no proof.
Webcams are so cheap today, there’s no reason not to have at least one somewhere in the house to see who comes and goes. You can use your computer, or get a used one on Craigslist to dedicate to this purpose for $50 or less.
You don’t have to monitor every room. Just the door/s people would enter so you know who’s been there. It would certainly narrow things down a bit should there be a next time.
And let the police know immediately. 'Tis their job.
Perhaps because now it is common to microscribe a serial number on diamonds, making them easy to trace and antiques do not tend to have serial numbers?
I have relatively little heirloom jewelry, I rarely wear jewelry so my pieces stay tucked in our safety deposit box. If you do get them back, you might consider popping them into your safe instead of your jewelry drawer when you take them off.
And theoretically the description [and pictures if you have them] get circulated to the various pawn stores. I suppose you could also visit any local pawn shops yourself and ask after them/look for them yourself.
This is exactly how I feel. I keep hoping they will show up even though I know they will not. I am kicking myself for not putting them in the safe but I wear them everyday and make a conscious decision not to take them away with me to the beach so I just left them in the ring tray in the drawer like I do every night.
I think I’ll visit the police station on the way home from work and make a report. At least that would give me a little hope. I have a picture of one and Im sure they would have been pawned together so maybe that will help.
This is awkward but don’t you have teenage kid(s)? Were they out of town with you?
I only ask because last week our neighbor busted his teenage step-son and a friend literally breaking into his house to rob him. Sucks, but it happens.
Not suggesting your daughter is a thief but she may have friends that are. Just another possibility, not an accusation!
I’d be suspecting the kids and their friends. Probably thought the two rings platinum rings were actually cheap silver jewelery that wouldn’t be missed right away as opposed to an expensive looking modern diamond ring. A bag of quarters just looked like loose change to them.
That and they might look suspicious and draw attention with a diamond; antique jewelery may appear to be more stylist to a younger crowd. That and they may not have a lot of options on who to sell it to being kids. A real thief would have taken a lot more, not just the jewelry in your drawer. I’d be making some seriously obvious hints to my teenager that the rings had better just show up.
