WWYD if your cleaner stole your jewellery

[roastedsaltedpeanut]

Just had the displeasure to find out a one-off cleaner recommended by a friend has absolutely cleared my antique jewelleries which I paid £6k for both worth significantly more on the open market. Diamond studded rings, diamond ear rings, solid silver bracelet and necklace…they are all gone, including my wedding band. What kind of a monster takes wedding bands?!

The trouble with me is that while I appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of antique jewellery, I am not comfortable wearing them. I only use them for special occasions to fit in with others, which is why it took me so long to realise they are gone. I feel rather silly and useless.

I don’t have cctv footage. I can only deduce that she had taken them because no one else is allowed upstairs in the bedroom.
I am gutted. I left her on her own out of respect, which had given her the opportunity to steal.

I know stressing over isn’t good for my mental health as I have just finished my sessions with the therapist. But I cannot shake off that retched gutted feeling of betrayal. As she only had the opportunity because I respected her and gave her space and went out of her way instead of hovering her, which I used to find distasteful but now 😭

Surely stuff like this should be hidden under floorboards / under insulation in the loft / tucked away behind a radiator in a bag on a string or just generally concealed somewhere so a burglar or other casual thief can't easily spot it?

It boggles my mind that people can leave £6k worth of precious stones or metal just hanging around in a drawer in a bedroom.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply and share most valuable advice.

I was quite upset this morning and disheartened and blamed myself for the incident. Wouldn't anyone blame themselves? Had I locked everything in the bank it would have been okay. But I wanted a few piece at hand for parties and dinners, which hadn't really happened for over a year now. I really wish I had been more organised and put things away properly. Yes I wouldn't leave 6k cash lying about, but I just wasn't thinking. I never expected this!

Now I have emailed the insurance company I feel much better. At least I have taken some concrete steps towards solving this issue.

In terms of prevention, I will look into all the suggestions.

I am sorry to hear that some have experienced similar, one way or another. I hope you had eventually gotten over the heartache of losing something sentimental? The wedding band is the only sentimental value piece for me, I remember the first day that I put it on and how happy I felt.

I hope I have touched on all the points mentioned.

Anyway, fingers crossed! and thanks for the support!

By the way, love the imagination some posters got! I wish I was reading this thread rather than experiencing it

Are you sure it wasn’t your husband trying to pay something off or keep you afloat? But doesn’t want to tell you?

Call the police. Ask them when they're here which high street jeweller or pawn broker is the one that accepts stolen goods. Go there and look at their stock. Repeat if necessary at the next/nearest town.

Good luck.

Sorry this has happened to you OP, it's an awful situation made all the worse because it is a betrayal of trust.

This happened to my parents in the 80s. The cleaner (and her husband who worked as a handyman) often used to babysit for us when my parents went out. They staged a break-in after we had gone to bed (my parent's room could be accessed via a flat roof at the back of the house. They took all my mother's diamond jewellery apart from what she had gone out wearing, and stole a lot of cash, both GB sterling and US dollars - my father's business was cash based and he kept most of it hidden around their bedroom and bathroom. As the cleaner, she would have known this. The mess they made in the room was horrendous, they ripped the room apart, even removing floorboards.

Despite the clear case it was an inside job as their story just did not make sense, my parents couldn't prove it as there was no fingerprints or any other forensic evidence. The police couldn't do anything, and with no crime number, my parent's could claim on insurance. The cleaner (and her husband who was the handyman) quit a few weeks later and disappeared. I actually ran into them in Spain a few years later. The made a hasty exit.

I don't think my parents ever got over the betrayal.

OP does your insurance cover this? I had to list out items worth more than a certain amount if I wanted my insurance to cover them.

It's galling that you've had valuable and sentimental items stolen. Not helpful at the moment but having had a few friends with stolen jewellery, the burglars seemed to make a beeline for the master bedroom and any drawers/cupboards.

My expensive jewellery is in a normal metal storage tin at the back of my kitchen cupboards, with food showing through the window. Of course nothing is foolproof - if I have a fatal accident, I can imagine my family managing to throw the whole lot away... But it's out of sight (though I trust my cleaner completely)

Hope you have some luck in trying to recover it through whatever means

The way you are describing what has happened is ridiculous. Yes it is your fault. YABU.

Have you spoken to your friend who recommended her? The whole ways you’ve spoken about this sounds odd. You’re not to blame but are you absolutely sure it was the cleaner?

I had some jewellery - not £6k worth - stolen by a cleaner. It took me a while to realise it had gone because it was usually hidden away.
We reported it to the police, and then with a crime number and some photos made an insurance claim. Fairly straightforward.

Hey I'm just wi Deri g what area your from and what date this happened and if the cleaner was young female or was there 2