Elderly pair robbed of £140,000 diamond ring (From Dorset Echo)

Elderly pair robbed of £140,000 diamond ring

12:00am Wednesday 12th September 2001 in

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Golders Green: An antique diamond ring worth £140,000 was stolen from a chauffeur-driven couple in Golders Green last week.

An elderly wealthy couple were robbed and their 57-year-old chauffeur's face slashed with a knife following a raid on the couple's home which led to the distinctive Marquise cut solitaire 5.75 carat diamond being taken on Wednesday last week.

Jewellers in the borough have been warned by police to be on the look out for anyone trying to sell the ring or have it cut.

Co-director Deborah Blackman of Barrington Jewellers in Oakleigh Road North, Whetstone, said: "Jewellers could be misled into thinking the person in front of them doesn't know the ring's true value or believe the person if they claim the ring belonged to their grandmother.

"Unscrupulous dealers could deliberately lie about its value to the customer and buy it, however some items are stolen to order so the thieves may have already set up a buyer elsewhere. If the ring's broken down this would make it very difficult to trace."

Leading the investigation Det Con Andy Thomas described the robbery as a "brutal attack" which has left the chauffeur needing stitches to both ears and the elderly couple suffering from shock.

"We're hoping anyone who see this ring will not touch it as it's 5.75 carat and we urge them to call us immediately," he said. "This was an organised crime but, if they want the stone cut down, they'll have to approach a jeweller who knows what he's doing."

The knife-wielding burglar is described as a black man, aged 30, 6ft, wearing a black balaclava and dark clothing. He was accompanied by a gunman of mixed race, 5ft 8ins, who was wearing a light-coloured baseball cap and denim jacket.

If you can help police, call Barnet's burglary squad on 020 8733 5885 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.