Authorities are racing to recover precious gems stolen by thieves who posed as customers in the high-end Avianne and Co.
Three people were caught on surveillance footage carrying out a brazen jewelry heist in broad daylight in New York City, leaving cops scrambling to recover as much as $4 million of precious gems.
The video shows three people posing as customers before pulling out guns and forcing employees to the floor.The employees were hog-tied with zip ties and duct tape before the thieves looted the store.
The heist happened in the famed Diamond District at the Avianne and Co. store, which caters to a high-end celebrity clientele including Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Offset.
Investigators were still on the scene Monday looking for forensic evidence. It's now a race to find the suspects and recover the jewels. For the thieves, it may be difficult to keep the gems under the radar.
Inside Edition spoke to Robbie Friedman, who owns I. Friedman & Son Jewelers on the same block where the heist happened. He said most diamonds are inscribed with serial numbers so they can be tracked.
"Every diamond in this bracelet has an identifiable laser inscription like this, and that's how this bracelet is traceable for the rest of its existence,” he said, showing off an item.
He said each diamond also has a certificate that corresponds to the individual stone.
But even diamonds that aren't formally certified with a laser have unique characteristics that could be flagged.
"There are imperfections that are basically plotted on the stone — the same that your fingerprint has identification numbers. It's the same thing as a diamond,” he said.
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