In a strange turn of events, an $800,000 diamond ring went missing at the Ritz Paris last week, but then, was found after a hotelwide search was conducted.
But this story has quite a few questionable twists and turns before the wildly expensive ring was returned to its owner.
The Missing Ring
Last week, a Malaysian entrepreneur who has chosen to remain anonymous reported that their diamond ring, worth more than $800,000, had gone missing from their room at the Ritz Paris.
According to the Malaysian visitor, they had left it on the nightstand the night before, and when they returned from shopping in the morning, the ring was conspicuously gone.
The Police Were Immediately Contacted
Of course, in addition to informing the staff at the Ritz of the assumed theft, the owner of the now-lost ring immediately called the Parisian police.
Within the police report, apparently the guest made it very clear where she thought the ring had gone.
Ritz Employees Were Blamed for the Missing Ring
She believed that one of the hotel employees had taken her ring from the nightstand while she was out shopping that morning and wanted a full investigation launched.
However, before the police could even plan said investigation, the ring was found by none other than the Ritz hotel staff.
A Thorough Search Was Conducted
After learning about the missing ring, and likely in the hopes of clearing their employees’ names from the list of suspects, the hotel staff at the Ritz went straight to work trying to find it.
And according to the staff, after searching every inch of the large hotel, one of their security guards found the ring in a not-so-surprising place.
Where Was the $800,000 Ring Found?
The ring was found in the bag of a vacuum cleaner in one of the cleaning supply rooms. Apparently, the security guard who found it had a hunch and opened the vacuum cleaner bag.
And inside, among the dust and debris that typically fills a vacuum, was the $800,000 ring, completely intact and unharmed.
The Malaysian Guests Were Offered a Complimentary Stay
To apologize for the stress and inconvenience that was caused by the missing ring, management at the Ritz offered their guest three free nights at the hotel.
And with an average nightly cost of $2,000 to $3,000, the compensation for a temporarily missing ring seems quite generous.
No One Was Arrested
Luckily, because the ring was found and returned so quickly, the police were unnecessary and no one was investigated or charged with theft.
However, that was not the case for two other situations at the famous hotel in which actual theft occurred.
$4 Million Worth of Jewels Were Stolen in 2018
In 2018, five men armed with axes broke into the Ritz Paris and stole a whopping $4 million worth of jewelry from one of the hotel’s on-site stores.
While three of the men were apprehended and arrested, two of the thieves were able to get away, and the hotel never commented as to whether or not they were able to recover the stolen pieces.
That Same Year, a $900,000 Piece of Jewelry Went Missing
Also in 2018, a Saudi princess from the royal family reported a piece of her jewelry worth $900,000 went missing from her room.
This time, the Paris police did get involved, but after a thorough investigation in which they noticed that there were no signs of forced entry into her room, they never found the culprit.
The Missing Jewelry & Thefts Might Not Be a Coincidence
Although the missing ring and the two counts of jewel theft at the Ritz Paris might not be a coincidence, it’s probably not because of anything the hotel is doing wrong.
The truth is that the hotel attacks some of the richest and most famous people on the planet. Therefore, there is consistently very expensive jewelry at the hotel, and thieves who capitalize on that.
All Is Well and Good, This Time
So, in regard to this story, all’s well that ends well; the $800,000 ring was successfully found and returned to its owner.
And if something valuable ever goes missing again, there’s no doubt that the first place the hotel staff will look is in the vacuum cleaners.
