Stolen Mikimoto bracelet

[FleurH]

My neighbour has been the victim of a distraction burglary and all her jewellery has been taken. I have been asked to make a list of the missing items as my neighbour has dementia-mainly short term memory loss, and gets a bit confused when asked what jewellery she had. One of the missing pieces is a silver and pearl Mikimoto bracelet. It was probably bought in Lagos sometime in the 1950's and is made of silver oblong links with a pearl in the centre of each link. She is most upset about losing her Mikimoto pearls which she wore every day. Luckily, she gave me a strand of pearls a couple of years ago and I can give them back to her. I don't think she would be interested in new pearls as they wouldn't hold any memories for her.
It's very unlikely she has receipts for any of the jewellery and I have no idea how much the bracelet and pearls would be worth. The bracelet has its original box and was hardly worn, but the pearls weren't in the best condition and didn't have the original clasp.
I have a slightly blurred photo of the bracelet, which I will post tomorrow and would be very grateful if anyone in England who notices it for sale anywhere, could let me know.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi
Where in England? (and sorry for this burglary. Heinous) If I get offered it I will summon an officer, to be sure
You'll keep an eye on eBay I assume? Cash converters (and the receivers hotspot was in the bar of our local conservative club where a woman fence received sellers all day! (untill arrested)

 

[lisa c]

Very innovative of you to post notice of it here, and thoughtful of you.

 

[FleurH]

Hi Wendy,
Northampton. Yes checking ebay and police have told us to visit various Cash converters. It beggars belief anyone could do this to an eighty six year old lady. I had just about persuaded her to let me send her pearls to you for re stringing-you did such a good job with her other strand a couple of years ago. It's awful to see her so upset, I know it's unlikely anything will turn up but I thought it's worth a try.

 

[pearlescence]

Can you send me her wrist measurement and address via the contact form on the website please/

 

[Pearl Dreams]

How very distressing! The elderly are targeted, of course, because they are vulnerable.

Just this week a 93 year old woman in a town near us was robbed while she raked her leaves. One man distracted her while the other entered her house and took thousands of dollars of jewelry. Cleaned her out.

 

[pattye]

How very sad to hear. I can only hope the jeweleries are recovered for both parties.

 

[Anne21]

Fleur, I am so sorry to hear about your neighbor's loss. What an awful thing to do! And Pearl Dreams, to rob a 93 year old lady out raking leaves!! I just don't understand how people do these things!

As one who has had experience with family members with dementia, may I offer a thought about getting more information from her? It is time-consuming, and you may not have the time, but it may help some. As her memory loss is currently short term, she may have very distinct long term memories. If you were able to sit down with her and ask her to tell you stories about when she received special jewelry, she may be able to tell you about some specific birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays when she was given something special. With Christmas coming up, that might be a way to lead into the conversation without making it directly about the theft.

I hope they catch the criminals and lock them up and throw away the key! Best of luck recovering her treasures, and how kind of you to help.

 

[GemGeek]

Disgusting, but so nice that she has someone to look out for her.

 

[FleurH]

Pearl Dreams, So sorry to hear about another lady being robbed of her jewellery, she must be devastated. I do hope it can all be recovered.

Anne21, luckily I have been able to give good descriptions of the missing pieces. My neighbour's memories from the past are crystal clear, and at least once a month she would get her wooden jewellery box out and talk about each piece of jewellery and where it was bought and what was special about it. I found that getting her to talk about her jewellery led to her talking about happier times and a good way to distract her if she was agitated. It really is fascinating to hear about the places she lived in over fifty years ago-Lagos, Benghazi, Brazzaville and many more. Such a strange quirk of dementia that events from years ago are much more vivid than the present.

The reason I have the very poor and out of focus photograph of the bracelet is that it needed cleaning, and I wasn't sure how this could be done without damaging the pearls. I was going to post on here for advice. Didn't think I'd be posting asking if anyone has seen it offered for sale.

Thank you for your help, it is very much appreciated. I shall keep you informed if anything turns up.