West Coast Diamond Thief

Watch out for West Coast switch artist
July 13, 2007

New York—The Jewelers Security Alliance (JSA) is warning jewelers on the West Coast to be on the lookout for a man who is allegedly asking jewelers to view diamonds and then swapping the stones with cubic zirconia.

According to the warning, the man enters retail jewelry stores and asks to see the largest set of diamond earrings that the jeweler has on hand. After examining the goods, he leaves the store and then returns shortly thereafter to view the pieces again and switch the diamonds for cubic zirconia. The thief tends to focus on high-end department stores, and has hit in Santa Monica, Calif., and Portland, Ore., among other locations, according to the JSA.

Authorities believe the man has contacts in Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. The San Diego Police Department has connected the man to at least six pending diamond-switch cases on the West Coast, the JSA says.

The suspect is a white male who is described to be about 34 years old, approximately 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair, police say.

Jewelers with information on the suspect may contact Detective Timothy Johnson at the San Diego Police Department at (619) 744-9515.