Does your jewelry endanger you?

[Logan Sapphire]

I have a friend who works for the FBI, and they received a briefing today on pickpockets. Apparently pickpockets will target someone based on the jewelry they wear. In other words, even if you''re wearing jeans and a t-shirt, if they see what they think is a nice ring or several pieces, they are more likely to go for you. They won''t steal the jewelry though, because that''s too obvious. If you think something suspicious is going on, they recommend you turn and look, because that deters the pickpockets, who count on people today not being aware of their surroundings and not looking people in the face. Interesting.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

That makes sense. Thanks for the warning though. It is important to always be careful.

 

[Julian]

Or, it's possible they think the jewelry's fake. My coworker, who has obviously never seen bigger diamonds -- asked to see my ring. He holds it up to the light for about 3 minutes...looks through the side... and scratches at the facets in the top. I was like, "WHY ARE YOU SCRATCHING AT MY DIAMOND?"

He says, "It's not yellow!" I replied, "I know, it's colorless" and tell him it's in the DEF range. He goes, "A is the best, right?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! That's all fine, since he bought his wife a princess from a maul jeweler -- how would he know? But to take his nail and SCRATCH at my facets?!?!?!?!??!

He basically did everything possible to see if it were fake. He kept saying, "That thing is huge. It's perfect. You can't see anything in it." Therefore, it must be FAKE?! ARGH!!!! I drive a nice car, I have a great job -- what is his deal? It makes me feel incredulous that he's going to go around telling everyone I wear a CZ ring because he doesn't know that diamonds can sparkle. They aren't all cloudy glass!

OK... so basically, maybe the crooks will think they're fake and it'll work to our advantage!

I am wondering if all the catty women I work with say it's fake to make themselves feel better. That's how he made it sound. Maybe they sent him to get the official word? Ptooey.

 

[Dancing Fire]

yeah...sometime when you wear too much or too big,they think it''s fake.

 

[ladykemma]

when i lived in london, i wore czs. too afraid to wear real, especially in leicester square

 

[SuzyQZ]

Most people are not diamond connoiseurs like many PSers here. I doubt that the average person can tell the difference between a cz and a diamond. I myself used to be one of them, until I took the time to learn about diamonds. Now i know just enough to know what I don''t want.

I think that many people think of diamonds especially larger ones as an outlandish luxury, when in reality for most of us it''s about choices. Everybody has their own "pie". How they choose to divvy up the pieces is up to each of us. For some it''s a new car, or a remodeled kitchen, or nothing but Jimmy Choo shoes and Prada bags. I like diamonds. I don''t like people automatically assuming something is fake because maybe they feel that your lifestyle doesn''t support your "bling". I love the look of a beautifully cut diamond! There is not too much that facinates me like a diamond, AND it will always keep that beauty. I drive an older model car, haven''t remodeled BUT I do love my rings!

Sometimes if I''m unsure about my surroundings, I do the "twirl the ring around" trick. Or sometimes I take it off altogether. When I have a manicure, I don''t wear my rings. I put them on after. Don''t know why I do this, I guess I don''t want to "advertise" what I''m wearing. I''ve heard of manicure shops being robbed. People coming in specifically to steal jewelry from the customers. So I''m always careful.

We should always be careful, as women with pretty ''stuff'' can sometimes attrack unwanted attention.

 

[FireGoddess]

Good thing there''s nothin'' in my pockets to pick, after paying for my jewelry. LOL.

 

[princessv]

Date: 4/4/2006 5:53:46 PM
Author: Julian
But to take his nail and SCRATCH at my facets?!?!?!?!??!

I've had people rub and put thumbprints all over my ring but to scratch at my facets?! Ohhh honey I hope that you immediately snatched your hand and your lovely ring out of his grubby fingers and nails!

It is kind of interesting about jewelry in general...some people just assume that I have money because I have a nice (by real world standards) ring. For example, I was in Victoria Secret's at the upscale Charlotte mall and the salespeople just fawned all over themselves to try and help me. Whenever I went in before, I got ignored.

Then, I noticed some of them pointing not so discreetly at my ring and put two and two together. Little do they know I'm so much in the hole with my education debt! LOL

I do the spin around the ring alot too..also I'm thinking of getting a CZ Jubilee to put in my old setting because I feel at times that my ring attracts too much unwanted attention depending on where I'm going (much more so than my old setting!)

 

[Odilia]

{{{{{It is kind of interesting about jewelry in general...some people just assume that I have money because I have a nice (by real world standards) ring. ... I was in Victoria Secret''s at the upscale Charlotte mall and the salespeople just fawned all over themselves to try and help me. ..., I noticed some of them pointing not so discreetly at my ring and put two and two together. ...I feel at times that my ring attracts too much unwanted attention depending on where I''m going (much more so than my old setting!)}}}}

That''s funny, Princess V, but I can see why. It is gorgeous, and it definitely kept catching my eye at lunch at the D.C. get-together!! You are right, it is interesting about jewelry in general. Non-Pricescopers don''t determine value the same way PS''ers do. And how people assume you have money when you have a nice ring, when they know nothing about how much you really spent, and how you spend your money otherwise.

 

[Julian]

This is a dumb question: but you don't think a fingernail scratching at a diamond can do anything to it, right? It just bothers me that he kept scratching at my RB repeatedly -- I was too shocked to do anything about it.

Now, I'm kicking myself for sitting there while he scratched at my diamond. I swear, I'm never letting anyone near my ring again. You just think they wouldn't do crazy things like that, but they do.

 

[princessv]

Aw old-fashioned girl thanks! Honestly, it''s not like we dropped a ton of $$ on it either it is interesting how people automatically assume that though.

Julian: I wouldn''t think so other than getting your diamond dirty! My biggest pet peeve in the entire world hehe

 

[Julian]

Princess V, your ring is gorgeous!

Thanks for the reassurance.

Dirty, I can handle!

I''m a diamond clean freak!!!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 4/4/2006 8:42:58 PM
Author: Julian
This is a dumb question: but you don''t think a fingernail scratching at a diamond can do anything to it, right? It just bothers me that he kept scratching at my RB repeatedly -- I was too shocked to do anything about it.

Now, I''m kicking myself for sitting there while he scratched at my diamond. I swear, I''m never letting anyone near my ring again. You just think they wouldn''t do crazy things like that, but they do.

Julian, I''m surprised your co-worker didn''t ask you to take off the ring so he could bite the metal to tell if it was real, lol! What a freak!

 

[Mara]

when we told my parents about my upgrade, my dad gave me a mini lecture on how i'd probably get mugged for wearing such a large diamond.

hopefully that's not the case. also hehee i'll have my big diamond and be driving my old car so maybe would-be-thieves will end up confused about if the diamond is fake...hehee. i also tend to wear jeans and flip flops all the time so who knows if people think my set now is even real! it's kind of blingy for my general day-to-day look but i love it. oh also i try to be more aware of my surroundings and who is around me, i think in general as a female out walking alone or whatever you should be aware and extra careful, regardless of what jewelry you have on, there is far more precious than just your baubles to protect.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 4/4/2006 8:06:14 PM
Author: Princess V

Date: 4/4/2006 5:53:46 PM
I was in Victoria Secret''s at the upscale Charlotte mall and the salespeople just fawned all over themselves to try and help me. Whenever I went in before, I got ignored.

Bet I know which mall that was

 

[Small]

I definitely worry about things like this but I''m also told that would be muggers tend to stay away from women with kids lmao so since I am usually never without them I consider myself not to be a good target. My kids would start screaming and that would definitely draw attention lmao...I can see it now.
But when I''m by myself I''m very conscious of my surroundings. My husband thinks I''m super paranoid and maybe I am but you can never be too careful ESPECIALLY being a woman and alone. I have a few cz rings I wore during pregnancy and depending on where I''m going out to shop I have been known to slip one of those on my finger just in case someone wanted to mug me...let them have my 9.99 JC Penney CZ LOL!

 

[bookworm21]

I think that jewelry does put you in the cross-sights of would-be thieves. My bf said that when we get engaged, he didn't want me to go above a 1.5 carat for the engagement ring for fear of people wanting to mug us. (Yes, he's rather paranoid about that stuff, but better safe than sorry, I suppose.) We live in a decent neighborhood, but on our block, we're the youngest and the most well-off. Our neighbors already dislike us because of that, so he's hesitant to buy any jewelry that's too blingy, because our neighbors aren't really the best people. They're the type to have friends that would watch our house and wait for an opportunity...so, yes, I do think that jewelry endangers you, BUT it really depends on where you are and where you wear your jewelry to.

So I'm hoping that we'll be moving in the next year or so into a better neighborhood so I can whine my way into a slightly bigger rock.

ETA: OMG, I just realized that I sound like a complete snob. That WAS not my intention. I promise I'm not, it's just that our neighbors are jerks, for lack of a better word. They're unbelievably rude, they snooped around in our house before we moved in (we were remodeling the place before moving in, and the contractor wanted them to see his work), and the neighbors across the street tend to give me some nasty looks when I happen to see them outside.