1 of 7 | A 10.7-carat Graff diamond ring was among a haul of exclusive jewelry worth more than $13 million stolen December 7 from a home in one of London’s priciest zip codes. Police are appealing for leads and the homeowners — who were out of town — are offering a substantial reward. Photo courtesy Metropolitan police.
Dec. 31 (UPI) — London’s Met Police issued an appeal for witnesses to help solve a burglary in the capital’s exclusive Primrose Hill neighborhood in which more than $13 million worth of custom jewelry was stolen.
A lone, masked intruder broke in through a second-floor window of the residence close to Regent’s Park and the diplomatic quarter and escaped with a haul that included a 10.73-carat Graff diamond ring; two De Beers butterfly diamond rings; and a 3.03-carat diamond ring, aquamarine ring and “Niloticud Lumiere” necklace, all by Hermes, the Met said in a news release Monday.
Also taken were four exclusive pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, including a gold, diamond and sapphire clip; “Fleur des Mers” ring with diamonds, sapphires and aquamarines; a vintage diamond, sapphire and platinum necklace/bracelet set; and a gold, diamond and sapphire necklace.
Other pieces included two Chrome Hearts gold and emerald and gold and sapphire bracelets; Chopard diamond earrings; and Katherine Wang pink sapphire earrings.
Hemes handbags worth $188,414 and $18,836 in cash were also stolen.
The suspect is described as a White man in his late 20s to 30s, of medium build, wearing a dark hoodie, cargo pants and a grey baseball cap. He covered his face during the break-in.
“This is a brazen offense, where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon and violated the sanctuary of the victims’ home,” said lead investigator Detective Constable Paulo Roberts.
“The suspect has stolen $13.1 million worth of jewelry, much of which is sentimental and unique in its design, and therefore easily identifiable.
“We urge anyone who was in the area of Avenue Road, NW8, and saw anything suspicious to please come forward. Also, if you have seen this jewellery since, someone has offered to sell you it, or you have any further information, then please also contact the police or Crimestoppers anonymously,” said Roberts.
Britain’s Graff Diamonds bought the second largest diamond ever found in 2017, paying $53 million for the tennis ball-sized 1,109-carat gem, uncut, after more than a year of negotiations with Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond which dug up the diamond in Botswana.
Graff said at the time that the stone was the largest gem-quality rough diamond to be unearthed in the past 100 years.
