Gem stones

A British court has heard how a woman allegedly pretended to be a gem expert and swapped diamonds worth £4.2 million ($8.3m) for pebbles using “sleight of hand” at a luxury London jewellers. Prosecutors said Lulu Lakatos, 60, posed as a gem expert and went to jewellery shop Boodles in London’s posh Mayfair area in March 2016, allegedly to value seven diamonds on behalf of a group of wealthy Russian buyers. The diamonds, which included a 20-carat heart-shaped diamond valued at more than £2.2m — were to be placed in a locked bag and held in the jeweller’s vault until payment was transferred. But when Boodles’ own diamond expert became suspicious and opened the bag the next day, she found seven small pebbles. Prosecutors said Lakatos then worked with accomplices to make their getaway to France in a rented car. Two men have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal over the heist. Lakatos, who was born in Romania but lived in France, denies any wrongdoing. She is charged with conspiracy to steal.