TLDR; Valuable ring stolen/given away to unknown person at gem valuation lab - what are my options?
First of all, let me apologise for this long account but I think some of the finer points are relevant as it pertains to this case.
A year ago, I purchased a ruby/diamond ring for ~£4k from a prominent auction house in Paris. I wanted to know whether the gem had been heat treated, since untreated gems are more valuable. So I took the ring to a gem lab in Bond Street, London, to obtain a more detailed report.
My mother took the ring to a gem lab in Bond Street and the arrangement was that they would examine the item and then provide me with a verbal report and, if required, a written report. She handed the ring to the lab and was given a form where she filled in my details, including my name and address and her own phone number. The COO of the lab noted down the description of the ring and made a copy of the form and handed this back to my mother. They told her that we would hear from them by the end of the week. I called a number of times and was told that the ring was yet to be examined. About a week after the initial delivery estimate, I called again and was informed over the phone that a man had collected my ring. This, of course, came as a complete shock as I had not arranged a collection with anyone else. I did not know who this man was and had not given them permission to give my ring to anyone. The very least the gem lab could have done was to call me to confirm if I had arranged someone to pick up the item.
I reported this as a theft to the police via telephone after the COO claimed that she called the man back on his phone and he confirmed that he had been told to pick up the ring.
I then went to their gem lab in Bond Street and met with the COO. I also made a full audio recording of this meeting and still have this. She informed me that a man had supplied them with my name and address; he stated that he worked with me and my mother; he stated that I wished to cancel the report, and that he would therefore be collecting the ring on my behalf.
The COO stated that the company thought that the man was acting on my behalf as he had provided all of my details. They did not take his ID, but the suspect supposedly left his name and phone number with them. I asked when the man had called as I had also called on the same day. COO then stated that the man had actually called on the day after my call.
I was completely shocked upon hearing this information. I do not understand how the man got my details and knew about the ring. COO claimed that the suspect relayed all of the details on the form provided by the company, without actually presenting a physical copy of the form itself. I work from home in an industry completely unrelated to gems and have not informed anyone aside from my immediate household family members about my ring. The only other people that had the information was the gem lab. I suspect that someone working there was involved as that is the only way the suspect could have gotten the details.
It shocks me that the company released my high value ring to the suspect, despite having my mother’s phone number in their records. In the audio recording, COO claimed that the number from which the man called, resembled the one on the form and that his story was convincing.
The company neglected to verify any of the claims he made in addition to checking the phone number they actually had on file. COO admits in the recording that they made an error. She also stated that she had examined the ring, which poses questions as to why she hadn’t provided me with the verbal report in order to receive payment for the service I had required. They released the ring to the man without asking for payment for any services.
The COO denied responsibility by telling me to make a claim via insurance. I had no insurance for this item.
I then went back a second time to this office to meet with the COO. She refused to let me in and only spoke via the intercom and seemed very evasive. I recorded this encounter and sent it to the police.
After reaching out to the jeweller who created the ring, they informed me that the ring I purchased was worth about $25k-30k, if it were to be recreated in today’s prices. It was a custom-made ring and is unique.
No further effort was made by the lab to try and return the ring to me or to recompense me accordingly for my loss or accept responsibility for their grievous error. The company did not carry out a simple check by calling me or by asking the man for any form of ID. The COO told me she would supply call logs and CCTV to the police. The police only retrieved the CCTV and have closed the case since the suspect couldn’t be identified and the gem lab wasn’t treated as a suspect. It has been a year and nothing has been done.
I wanted to ask what sort of legal recourse is available to me and how likely am I to obtain some form of monetary compensation for my loss?
I would be grateful if readers here could point me in the right direction or give me any tips on the best way to pursue this. To that end, I have a few preliminary questions/points which I would be really grateful if anyone could clarify:
- Do I pursue this through the small claims court or instruct a solicitor to send them a strong letter, or both?
- If so, is it straightforward?
- What do you think the likely chance of success is in a situation such as mine?
- Would it be worth pursuing?
- What would be the likelihood of a best case scenario/outcome or a worst case scenario/outcome?
- Could I get recompensed for the loss I have made in terms of the potential worth of this ring. I could have made 2X the original buying price if the ring was handed back to me.
- Or will the court only consider the actual monetary value of my loss? And what about the loss of time, expenses and costs I’ve incurred as a result of this whole ordeal?
- Does the time lapse of a year after this incident took place raise questions as to why legal proceedings weren’t triggered before? I.e. does it work to my disadvantage?
If any of you could give me any insights at all, no matter how small, or point me in the right direction— even in terms of the best way to seek legal advice for such an issue, or best avenues to pursue this.
Thank you all for reading, I’m really grateful for your help and time.
TLDR; Valuable ring stolen/given away to unknown person at gem valuation lab - what are my options?