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<p>[QUOTE="Rene_R, post: 9481157, member: 81814"]Hello!</p><p><br /></p><p>I am looking for someone familiar with mid-19th century diamond jewellery. I have descriptions of a set of jewels that was stolen in England in 1851. I am not trying to solve a crime (the jewels were recovered later), nor to find the exact pieces (they probably don't exist anymore). What I want are insights into what kind of jewellery was involved, and maybe images of pieces from the right time period, to get an idea of what the originals may have looked like. My knowledge about jewellery in general is rudimentary at best.</p><p><br /></p><p>The objects in question were to be sent from London to Alexandria, but I don't know if they were originally made in England. They were stolen in London, then taken to Liverpool, from where the thief (unsuccessfully) tried to escape to America. As for the total value, £450 in 1851 would be roughly £80,000 in 2023 (a little over $100,000), but I don't know if diamonds would have been considered as valuable then as they are now, so the pieces would possibly be worth a lot more than £80,000 today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Below are the descriptions I have, from newspaper accounts and witness testimonies. In some instances, the reports are inconsistent or appear to be wrong. In those cases, I add what I think are the correct numbers in square brackets.</p><ul> <li><i>The property stolen consists of a necklace, forming two bracelets, a pair of earrings, a brooch, and centre piece of a necklace, also forming a brooch, with drops – value £450.</i></li> <li><i>The value of the diamonds, according to the London papers, is estimated at £4,500 </i>[£450?]<i>.</i></li> <li><i><i><i>a diamond bracelet, value <i>£</i>100, a diamond stomacher, value <i>£</i>130, two diamond bracelets, value <i>£</i>160 </i></i></i>[£60?]<i><i><i>, and two diamond ear-rings, value <i>£1</i>60 </i></i></i>[£60?]<i><i><i>, <i>diamonds to the total value of some £450.</i></i></i></i></li> <li><i><i>two large diamond brooches, the centre-piece, a brooch of a diamond stomacher, and a pair of diamond bracelets. Prisoner told me he had taken off the pendants or drops from the centre ornament, and had taken the stones out and sold them </i></i>[...]<i><i> five carats of diamonds, for <i>£</i>25.</i></i></li> <li><i><i><i>Having very little money left, I proceeded to sell the diamond drops as soon as I landed again in Liverpool. I only got £3 </i></i></i>[£5?]<i><i><i> per carat, so I did not sell more than sufficient to meet my urgent necessities, as I intended making restitution of the whole of the property at a future time.</i></i></i><br /> </li> <li><i><i><i><i><i>I afterwards found, on searching the prisoner's pocket-book, a duplicate or memorandum of a pair of brilliant earrings, deposited at </i></i></i></i></i>[a pawnbroker]<i><i><i><i><i> for <i><i><i>£</i></i></i>40. Prisoner said these earrings, together with the pendants he broke off the centre-piece, and the other articles produced, formed the complete suite of diamonds. The other portions of the pendants, consisting of the settings, were obtained by another officer.</i></i></i></i></i></li> <li><i><i>The property produced, consisting of two bracelets, brooches, stomacher brooch, ear-rings, etc., is worth £450 at the wholesale value, as charged in the invoice. The pendants have been taken off the centre piece and the diamonds taken out. I can identity the settings as my property, but the loose diamonds I can only presume belong to me</i></i>.</li> </ul><p>Thanks for your help!</p><p>Rene_R[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Rene_R, post: 9481157, member: 81814"]Hello! I am looking for someone familiar with mid-19th century diamond jewellery. I have descriptions of a set of jewels that was stolen in England in 1851. I am not trying to solve a crime (the jewels were recovered later), nor to find the exact pieces (they probably don't exist anymore). What I want are insights into what kind of jewellery was involved, and maybe images of pieces from the right time period, to get an idea of what the originals may have looked like. My knowledge about jewellery in general is rudimentary at best. The objects in question were to be sent from London to Alexandria, but I don't know if they were originally made in England. They were stolen in London, then taken to Liverpool, from where the thief (unsuccessfully) tried to escape to America. As for the total value, £450 in 1851 would be roughly £80,000 in 2023 (a little over $100,000), but I don't know if diamonds would have been considered as valuable then as they are now, so the pieces would possibly be worth a lot more than £80,000 today. Below are the descriptions I have, from newspaper accounts and witness testimonies. In some instances, the reports are inconsistent or appear to be wrong. In those cases, I add what I think are the correct numbers in square brackets. [LIST] [*][I]The property stolen consists of a necklace, forming two bracelets, a pair of earrings, a brooch, and centre piece of a necklace, also forming a brooch, with drops – value £450.[/I] [*][I]The value of the diamonds, according to the London papers, is estimated at £4,500 [/I][£450?][I].[/I] [*][I][I][I]a diamond bracelet, value [I]£[/I]100, a diamond stomacher, value [I]£[/I]130, two diamond bracelets, value [I]£[/I]160 [/I][/I][/I][£60?][I][I][I], and two diamond ear-rings, value [I]£1[/I]60 [/I][/I][/I][£60?][I][I][I], [I]diamonds to the total value of some £450.[/I][/I][/I][/I] [*][I][I]two large diamond brooches, the centre-piece, a brooch of a diamond stomacher, and a pair of diamond bracelets. Prisoner told me he had taken off the pendants or drops from the centre ornament, and had taken the stones out and sold them [/I][/I][...][I][I] five carats of diamonds, for [I]£[/I]25.[/I][/I] [*][I][I][I]Having very little money left, I proceeded to sell the diamond drops as soon as I landed again in Liverpool. I only got £3 [/I][/I][/I][£5?][I][I][I] per carat, so I did not sell more than sufficient to meet my urgent necessities, as I intended making restitution of the whole of the property at a future time.[/I][/I][/I] [*][I][I][I][I][I]I afterwards found, on searching the prisoner's pocket-book, a duplicate or memorandum of a pair of brilliant earrings, deposited at [/I][/I][/I][/I][/I][a pawnbroker][I][I][I][I][I] for [I][I][I]£[/I][/I][/I]40. Prisoner said these earrings, together with the pendants he broke off the centre-piece, and the other articles produced, formed the complete suite of diamonds. The other portions of the pendants, consisting of the settings, were obtained by another officer.[/I][/I][/I][/I][/I] [*][I][I]The property produced, consisting of two bracelets, brooches, stomacher brooch, ear-rings, etc., is worth £450 at the wholesale value, as charged in the invoice. The pendants have been taken off the centre piece and the diamonds taken out. I can identity the settings as my property, but the loose diamonds I can only presume belong to me[/I][/I]. [/LIST] Thanks for your help! Rene_R[/QUOTE]
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