Edinburgh crime: Clueless crook breaks into Edinburgh jewellers and steals haul of fake display diamonds worth just £100

A clueless crook broke through the roof of an Edinburgh jewellery shop and made off with a haul of what he believed were expensive diamond rings – only to find that they were actually fake.
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The thief broke into Austen and Blake jewellers in Hanover Street via the roof at around 5.30am on Friday before reaching into the display cabinets and grabbing a handful of items.

But little did he know that the rings were actually worthless, with an estimated cost of about £3 each.

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Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, sales consultant Hanna, told of her surprise when she and her colleague opened the shutters to discover the mess left behind and empty stands.

She said: “It was a bit of a shock when we arrived just before 10am, we pulled the shutter and everything looked fine except for one corner of the display.

"There was a lot of debris and then we noticed the hole in the roof, he clearly just grabbed a handful and then left.

"Nothing else was touched thank god, it was just the one corner he could reach. We got a roofer in to try to stop him coming back but we’re hoping he sees what he took and realises they aren’t real.”

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The suspect cut a hole in the roof of the jewellers.The suspect cut a hole in the roof of the jewellers.
The suspect cut a hole in the roof of the jewellers.
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The jeweller only opened in Edinburgh at the beginning of the year and doesn't keep any real diamonds in store. Its business model works on showcasing samples of what rings will look like in store with big price tags and customers then design their diamonds online which are made to order.

The sales consultant estimated the value of the fake diamonds to be around just £3 each meaning that the suspect got away with around £100 worth of samples.

She said: “To them it would have looked like a jackpot but really it’s not, I’m guessing they didn’t really know how our business works.”

The police were called as soon as the incident was discovered and forensic teams were on the scene during the day.

The suspect was caught on CCTV reaching into the display cabinets.The suspect was caught on CCTV reaching into the display cabinets.
The suspect was caught on CCTV reaching into the display cabinets.
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"To be honest it just looked like the guy saw the word jeweller and thought ‘let’s go’,” Hanna continued.

“He found a way in and went for it, maybe he planned it, I don’t know, but the reason we can leave our stuff in the window is because it is fake.

"It’s unfortunate but what can you do?”

Police Scotland has confirmed they are investigating the break-in and has said enquiries are ongoing.

Edinburgh crime: Thief breaks into Edinburgh jewellers and steals haul of fake display diamonds worth just £100Edinburgh crime: Thief breaks into Edinburgh jewellers and steals haul of fake display diamonds worth just £100
Edinburgh crime: Thief breaks into Edinburgh jewellers and steals haul of fake display diamonds worth just £100

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