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Duo Suspected of Switching Diamonds in Multiple States
They’ve allegedly hit, or tried to hit, jewelers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois.
Mishawaka, Ind.—The Jewelers Security Alliance issued an alert Thursday for two men wanted for swapping diamonds for CZ in multiple states.
One of the swaps happened Aug. 7 at a jewelry store in Mishawaka, Indiana, about 15 minutes east of South Bend.
According to the JSA, the two male suspects entered the store at about 7:50 p.m. asking to see bridal rings. After being shown a number of items, one of the suspects asked to see a loose diamond.
When he was shown the stone, he lowered it below showcase level, out of view of the sales associate, and allegedly then removed it from its holder and replaced it with a cubic zirconia.
The sales associate inspected the diamond that was returned and tested it, which revealed it was a CZ.
The suspects were confronted but denied a switch had taken place and wondered over to the watch case, where they offered to complete a credit application, presumably in a show of good faith. According to the JSA, an alert was given but they managed to get away.
The suspects are described as two black males, one 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds with a beard who often wears a Chicago Bulls cap (pictured below at right), and the other 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds with a goatee (pictured below at left).
The JSA said the same two men reportedly have executed similar switches at jewelry stores in Lexington, Kentucky; Grandville, Michigan; and in Dublin, Ohio on Sept. 6, and have tried to swap stones at other stores in New Jersey, Michigan and Illinois.
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