Top 5 Famous Jewelry Thefts

Most people love the thought of owning a closet, or even room, full of gold and jewels. In fact, some people love the thought so much, that they are willing to steal for it. While most thefts are petty, poorly planned, and highly unsuccessful, others are grand enough to make history. Even though today there are many jewelry insurance, however, the discovery of the theft of the Jewels in another side caused great concern and sometimes become an interesting story and full of mystery for some people. These five thieves were so maliciously cunning that they will be remembered, however spitefully, for years to come.

#1 The Harry Winston Robbery. The Harry Winston store in Paris was robbed in the December of 2008. The Harry Winston boutique is on a street off Paris' famed Champs-Elysees Avenue dotted with fashion houses and fashionable cafes. The robbery, carried out while Christmas shoppers strolled outside, was among the most audacious in France in recent memory. What sets this robbery apart, aside from the fact that over $108 million of jewelry was stolen and not known the value of 'jewelry insurance' company losses due to this theft., was the fact that the three robbers came in disguised as women. However, these “women” were not very lady-like, as they forced the salespeople to loot the store at gunpoint. To this day, these “ladies” roam free, perhaps even wearing their plight.

Media crowded preach that armed men dressed in wigs and women's dresses entered the store on Avenue Montaigne near the Champs-Elysees shortly before their closing time. They took nearly everything on display and forced staff to hand off diamonds stashed away in the back. No one was injured and no shots were fired.

Some stolen rings, necklaces and watches were recovered when police rounded up 25 people in a June 2009 sweep and eventually charged nine of them. Among those charged was the heist's suspected mastermind, who had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in a drug trafficking case. Police found stolen jewellery and 760,000 euros ($A1.05 million) at this house. A guard at the Harry Winston boutique put police on the trail of the suspects. When investigators learned that an Israeli was expected in Paris to buy some of the stolen jewels, police moved in to make the arrests.


#2 The Damiani Jewelry Showroom Robbery. The Damiani showroom, located in Milan, was robbed in 2008. These thieves also showed some creativity and careful planning, as they accessed the showroom by slowly drilling a hole in the showroom’s basement through the basement of a construction zone next door. These thieves entered Damiani during a private showing, dressed up as hired police help, and walked away with over $20 million worth of gold and jewels.


#3 The Antwerp Diamond Center Robbery. In Feburary of 2003, the Antwerp Diamond Center in Antwerp, Belgium, was robbed of over $100 million worth of diamonds. The Antwerp Diamond Center holds 160 underground vaults that are used to hold diamonds. In this robbery, 123 of the 160 vaults were emptied, by a group of burglars known as the School of Turin. While many of the the robbers were caught and punished, the jewels were never found.


#4 The Museon Museum Robbery. The Museon Museum of Science, located in the Netherlands, housed an exhibit that showcased a number of royal jewels. These jewels, which were worth around $12 million, were stolen in the December of 2002. No alarms were ever set off during the theft and the only damage to the museum was the shattered glass of the exhibit that held the jewels. To this day, the theft completely baffles the local authorities.


#5 The Schiphol Airport Truck Hijacking. While traveling to the Schiphol Airport in 2005, a KLM Cargo truck carrying approximately $118 million worth of diamonds was intercepted and hijacked by men wearing authentic KLM uniforms. While the exact amount of diamonds that were stolen was never determined, if it was, in fact, $118 million, this robbery would rank in as the largest diamond theft to date and may also to the rank of the jewelry insurance losses that must be shared.