How Often Is Stolen Jewelry Recovered?

Jewelry isn’t always a piece of metal for a few dollars. It can symbolize a deep meaning. Every engraving of the metal could have an untold story hidden in solid folds. It could be a memory of a loved one or maybe even a beautiful moment stored in metallic form.

And what if someone steals it? 

The experience could be devastating if so many sentiments are backing up the structure of the ornament. Unfortunately, many people go through this loss every single day. And mostly, there’s not much they can do about it.  

So do these missing pieces ever return to their owner’s place? How often is stolen jewelry recovered? What are the odds? We have to say; that when it comes to stolen jewelry, the numbers won’t exactly land in your favor. There are less than 5% chances of recovery! Are the stakes high, then? Yes. Read on to find out.

Filing a Police Report for Stolen Jewelry 

Every year, as an estimation, jewelry companies lose 100 million dollars and above. Once theft occurs, and you get robbed of one of your most prized possessions, there is barely any way around it. Before blaming anyone, try to look around all the houses and the areas you visited. If you remember enough, return to where you thought it was the last time, and search. 

If your search turns out useless, it’s okay. There’s always the other way. Once you’re sure someone stole your jewelry, immediately involve the police in the matter. Additionally, conduct a little private research in search of the missing items yourself. 

Look through every nook and cranny of your house. Retrace your steps and think long and hard about where you last saw that jewelry. Make sure you haven’t left it in a forsaken corner of your home or workplace. However, when all else fails, file a police report for your stolen jewelry. 

Make sure that you note down the report number as well as the officer you consulted. The police are more likely to locate the stolen items through varying means. 

What Happens To Stolen Jewelry?

Once a thief has gotten away with your jewelry, it can become very, if not impossible, to locate the items. This uncertainty is because they could have stored or sold it anywhere. There are several possible outcomes of your treasured article once it gets in the hands of the wrong person. 

Maybe a single-person army or a group of people with their hands deep in illegal stuff; what happens to your jewelry will depend upon who got it.

Pawn Shops 

These shops are one of the most common places your jewelry has the chance of visiting once stolen. Most burglars first target these shops after they have goods in their hands. Therefore, Police mainly establish strong relations with these shop owners, so they can get informed if any stolen item reaches the shop.

But some other shop owners have an alliance with the burglars and know that it is a stolen item. They prefer to stay quiet about it. Most shops require an ID, and by using a fake ID, the burglar can sell the jewelry to these shops. It can make the search for the culprit easier, but this isn’t always the case. Some thieves sell it to intermediaries, which may or may not know that they are dealing with a stolen item. 

Other Methods:

There can be a bunch of locations your stolen jewelry may be going to, including:

  • The black market.
  • Applications and sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, etc.
  • I was taking and selling to another country. 
  • Fencing operations: The thief collects a list of items, sells them to a fencing post and receives payment. 

How Is Stolen Jewelry Sold Without Getting Caught?

This part involves many sneaky methods. With the increase in the number of online e-commerce platforms, there comes a subtle expansion in the number of ingenious ways burglary uses. Examples of such platforms mentioned above and including eBay etc., play a significant role in limiting exposure to the thief. 

These applications and sites allow the selling of stolen items and even make the process easier. However, this restricts getting caught only to a specific limit. Beyond that, and with some research, you can undoubtedly recover your piece of jewelry, but this is rare. And what makes it more complicated is the involvement of middlemen. 

A thief isn’t usually naïve enough to sell directly, so they use black markets and pawnshops to serve their purpose. With acquaintances in these market areas and a fake ID, the burglar can quickly get away with the crime. Then there is fencing, which today these apps successfully replaced (almost). 

Fencing involves a shady person in the middle of the whole ordeal. They are usually the mastermind behind the entire plan. Stolen by the burglar and given to them, the jewelry becomes almost untraceable with many discrete people involved. Additionally, to avoid getting caught and safely selling them, many robbers take their loot to another country.  

The Stolen Jewelry Database

Legally, several methods allow you to reach out and ask for help in locating your jewelry. Well, then you have multiple sites to publish your item on, which makes the stolen jewelry database. Additionally, the FBI Jewelry and Gem Theft program can help you in your investigation. As the name suggests, the program was brought together, initialized in 1990, to cut down the theft cases. 

Many times, even small thefts corporate into a more prominent and way more lethal organization. Along with being financially devastating, these can result in serious injuries sometimes as well. These incidents happen primarily in cases where criminals carry weapons of any sort with them. The program is established across various nations to halt such activity. 

How to Prevent Jewelry Theft

These tips can help you avoid becoming a victim of jewelry theft.

Purchase Certified Jewellery

Thieves steal less-identifiable, high-cost pieces first because they are easier to sell on the market. It is important to purchase those with a hallmark to identify the purity of jewelry, gemstones, and stones; In addition to the buyer being afraid to repurchase stolen pieces, you can identify stolen pieces based on certification numbers and hallmarks. After the gems are stolen, your only chance at getting them back is to do that!

Be careful with jewelry.

There is a high probability of jewelry being stolen from places where it is easy to reach, such as desks, shelves, etc. Invest in a robust and secure safe and keep all your valuable items inside. Alternatively, you can use a showpiece that conceals a hidden safe. 

Take Pictures!

You might think that this is useless, but it is extremely useful. Make a photo of all your jewelry pieces. Additionally, it can be used as proof of ownership when finding lost items.

Conclusion 

Sometimes jewelry is sentiments wrapped up in a metallic structure, and there is no way one can claim those under a price tag. Moreover, the price of it can make you subject to a significant loss. But before you go searching for a thief, make sure you haven’t lost it somewhere yourself. Retrace your steps, and look for them everywhere. 

And in case it is stolen, we have to disappoint, but the numbers might not agree with the probability of you getting back the jewelry. Most robbers are smart and know how to cover up the tracks well. But there is always hope, and you can go searching for it in a police station. You can also investigate some pawn shops. However, make sure that you start the research as soon as possible after losing the jewelry. 

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