What if a unique piece is stolen?

emeraldhunter · Feb 11, 2017

We were victims of a home burglary a few days ago, and my wife's antique ring was stolen. The pawnshops in this area have already been notified, but I was wondering if there was something else that could be done. Is there a way people track down unique pieces? I have noticed "stolen 911" and "stolenjewelry.org". Any suggestions?

the_mother_thing · Feb 11, 2017

I am sorry your family was violated by the burglary, and glad you are safe. How scary!

Perhaps set up an alert on eBay for any newly posted rings using a couple key words that describe the ring like "antique, type of stone, metal" in case someone tries to sell it that way. Just a thought. I hope it turns up and you/she gets it back.

BeekeeperBetty · Feb 11, 2017

We had a similar thing happen several years ago. All of my jewelry and keepsakes were stolen. I kept my keepsakes in the same boxes. One of the pieces was my husband's military Academy ring, which is a very unique piece. I talked to the police about where these things normally end up so we could get it back, and they told me that they will pitch the jewelry boxes and keepsakes, and then sell the jewelry to one of those "we buy gold" places to be melted down. If the stones are obviously valuable, they get sold separately so everything can't be traced. They said they are mostly interested in the gold and not the stones, however. They sell the gold for cash and then that money goes back in to the drug trade. They said the whole thing runs like clockwork. They bust in, grab some valuables and sell it to their usual places for quick cash.

We kept a close look at ebay for years, but the ring never showed up. There are organizations that try to find lost or stolen Academy rings and return them to their owners, but it never showed up there, either. I'm pretty sure the stone was popped out and it was melted down.

I'm very sorry this happened to you. I remember how I felt when it happened. It was terrible. I hope you find the ring.