The Brazen Gem Burglar
January 02, 25
It's one of the biggest and most brazen gem burglaries in Britain.
A lone raider broke into a millionaire's mansion in London, cracked the safe and ran off with over $13m of jewelry.
He struck on a Saturday afternoon, climbing through a second-story window while as many as eight people - family members and staff - were at home.
His haul included a Graff 10.73-carat diamond ring, two De Beers butterfly diamond rings, a 3.03-carat Hermes ring, an aquamarine ring and a 'Niloticud Lumiere' necklace.
The raid took place on 7 December but the Metropolitan Police only revealed details this week, after a so-far fruitless search for the culprit.
It's one of the highest-value raids on a British home - second only to the 2019 theft at the home of Formula One heiress Tamara Ecclestone.
Thieves struck at her 57-room mansion in Kensington Palace, London, while she and her family were on vacation. They stole jewelry and other valuables worth £31m.
That was in spite of 24-hour security patrols and extensive surveillance measures at her $60m home.
Three Italian nationals were later jailed for the raid, but most of the jewelry is still missing and a fourth man, believed to have masterminded the operation, remains at large.
There are marked differences between the two raids. The most alarming is that the intruder in the more recent break-in spent almost 20 minutes on the premises, while people were at home.
And that he was carrying what police have only described as an "unknown weapon" - possibly a small flamethrower or canister of noxious spray.
Surveillance TV is said to show him reaching for the weapon every time he heard a noise from occupants of the vast 2,000 square meter, five story 13-bedroom home on a road in Primrose Hill, where the average price of a home is $19m.
At one point he came close to bumping into a maid, according to one report.
He had the ability to bypass whatever security measures were in place and to break into a safe. He had a weapon, and it appears he was prepared to use it.
The victim of the raid has since been widely identified by British newspapers as Shafira Huang, an art collector, socialite and influencer who has more than 13,000 Instagram followers.
A number of the stolen jewelry items can be clearly seen in pictures she's posted on private jets, luxury yachts, skiing trips and other vacations.
"This is a brazen offence, where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon and violated the sanctuary of the victims' home," said Detective Constable Paulo Robert.
"The suspect has stolen £10.4m ($13m) worth of jewellery, much of which is sentimental and unique in its design, and therefore easily identifiable."
The family is offering a $630,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, plus 10 per cent of the value for information leading to the retrieval of the stolen jewelry.
Have a fabulous 2025.