THIEVES RAID CITY CENTRE JEWELLER
A BURGLAR targeted an independent jewellers as thousands of football fans packed the streets of Cardiff.
While the assistant was out for lunch, the thief forced the door of the arcade shop and took handmade rings, pendants, bangles and necklaces worth thousands of pounds.
Emma-Kate Francis, a trained silversmith who makes all of the pieces for Emma-Kate Jewellery in Castle Arcade, believes the thief took advantage of the Champions League final celebrations to slip in unnoticed.
Police were also unable to attend after the incident as Emma said they deemed it “was not a priority”.
“I put my life and work into everything, I pay my taxes and do all the right things, then you just get some scum bag coming along and thinking they can take it away from you, which is gut wrenching,” said the 39-year-old from Roath, Cardiff.
Emma is currently on maternity leave caring for her nine-week-old baby while making jewellery at home.
Her assistant shut the shop at about 1pm on Saturday so she could get some lunch but returned to find that the door had been forced open.
“It’s a bit strange because they had put on extra security in the arcade, but at that time they were doing a handover to the next security guards,” said Emma.
She said as her shop is tucked away in a corner of the upstairs balcony in the arcade, the thief would have had to “search us out”.
She said many pieces from her signature Calla Lily Pearl collection were taken, including a rose gold-plated sterling silver bangle. As she works with silver, she said the scrap value of the metal is not high.
“The intrinsic value is in me making them,” said Emma.
A cash tin was also stolen from the shop, but it contained just £10 at the time. It was later recovered from nearby High Street Arcade.
“It’s gutting,” said Emma. “They have picked an opportune weekend. But they are not going to get the money they think they are.”
She added: “I have spoken to all the shops around here and they are all devastated and worried.”
Emma’s shop is above Coffee Barker, which has offered to check its CCTV as it covers the entrance to the upstairs balcony. She hopes anyone offered unusual jewellery for sale will come forward and report it to police. Scenes of crime officers carried out investigations at the premises on Sunday.
No-one at South Wales Police was available for comment.