Have you ever heard of the Forty Elephants gang? The Pink Panthers? Maybe Abigail Kemp? “Diamond” Doris Payne? How about Sofia Blyurshtein (aka Sofia Golden Hand)? What do all of these women have in common? Well, it might be safe to assume that they are drawn to sparkly things, for starters. Why? They’re all notorious jewel thieves, that’s why.
The Forty Elephants began their thievery in the 1800’s in London. Sofia “Golden Hand” started a little later in the mid-1800’s in Moscow. The Pink Panthers (yes, they got their name from the movie) showed up on the scene in the 1980’s and Abigail Kemp (called the “hot” jewel thief of the South because she was also an aspiring model) didn’t begin her career in larceny until much more recently (2015).
But I think my favorite may be Diamond Doris Payne. She had her first heist in the 1930’s at the age of 23, has been arrested over 20 times and has stolen more than two million dollars worth of jewels. And she’s still at it. Smiling all the way.
Read all about these ladies (and then some) in Racked’s article: Diamonds Are A Lady Jewel Thief’s Best Friend. Or if you enjoy a good crime story and think you might like to read first hand what it’s like to be a lady jewel thief, pick up Joan Hannington’s book I Am What I Am: The True Story Of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief.
I guess some women just can’t resist a pretty diamond. Or two. :0)
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