Gabriel & Co.'s Serial Number System Helps Police in Jewelry Store Robbery

NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In the early hours of the morning on December 20, 2016, JSR Jewelry, located at 201 N. Main Street in Waterloo, IL, was robbed of an undetermined amount of merchandise. Several of the jewelry store's display cases were smashed and investigators say the robbers took jewelry, some of which was Gabriel & Co. jewelry and engagement rings.

For the past decade, Gabriel & Co. has maintained a tracked inventory system of all jewelry pieces designed, produced and shipped to retailers and purchased by consumers. A unique identifying serial number is engraved onto each new Gabriel & Co. piece from the start of the production process. The serial number is tracked through the entire production cycle starting from the designer who initially worked on the piece to the retailer all the way to the final consumer who purchased the product and registered it through the warranty process. Gabriel & Co. maintains tight control on its inventory which includes sourcing information on raw materials (diamonds, metals and gemstones), and keeps all style serial numbers recorded, which is an added bonus for retailers who carry their jewelry and consumers who purchase their jewelry.

"Of course Gabriel is our best seller and that is the bulk of what they took," says JSR Jewelry owner Kathy Reime. "I did tell police that any Gabriel piece bears a serial number. I do have my invoices with the serial numbers, so all [the thieves] need to do is try to sell one piece and I can look it up."

Jack Gabriel, co-founder of Gabriel & Co. says, "I am confident that we can help solve this case. We have helped authorities solve cases in the past around the country, where stolen jewelry from retailers has included Gabriel jewelry. The thieves were caught, sometimes crossing over into other state jurisdictions and our jewelry served as concrete evidence because of our serialization process. By using our serial numbers and with the help of social media, these recently stolen pieces will surely show up. If we work together as one jewelry community we can deter future crimes from happening."

Gabriel & Co. is working with the Waterloo Police Department to help track down the thieves by providing the serial numbers for all of the stolen merchandise. The list of stolen items and their serial numbers can be found here. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Waterloo Police Department at (618) 939-3377.

About Gabriel & Co.:

Gabriel & Co. is proud to celebrate 25 years in making hand crafted fine jewelry with timeless designs and unparalleled quality. Founded in 1989 in Manhattan by brothers Jack and Dominick Gabriel, the aptly named Gabriel & Co. has grown into a world-renowned brand amongst consumers and within the fine jewelry industry. Most recently, the brand was voted the most preferred and the most profitable brand by both JCK Magazine's Retailer Survey and INSTORE magazine's annual Big Survey. For more information, visit GabrielNY.com.

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SOURCE Gabriel & Co.