That last statement is where Manning is working to make meaning of these robberies, which occurred in February and March. When the same man robbed her boutique—the second time with a female accomplice to help—Manning says she worried first about her employees and then for what she personally needs to do to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Manning is doing everything expected: She hired a security guard. She is looking at additional methods to protect her staff, who feel as violated as she does. But, most important, Manning says she is talking about what happened in the media and to other jewelers in the hopes of creating lasting change at a higher level.

“There are actionable items I can take and embrace [like adding a security guard] that I am going to do and I am, willingly,” Manning says. “But I’m also going to double down on my philosophy that’s always guided me in my business and in my life, and that’s opening doors and being an ally.

“I’m going to make sure to put my money where my mouth is because it’s the only way I can wrap my head around this and get out of bed in the morning,” Manning adds. “There are so many things that we need to do, together. We’re not going to get them done if we continue to fester, support hate, and be unkind to each other.”

The first robbery occurred Feb. 2 when the suspect came into the store and claimed he was there to buy an anniversary present. After casing the store, he returned, telling an employee that he had a knife, and grabbed an estimated $200,000 worth of gems, according to media reports.

The second robbery happened March 16 with the same man. He had a female accomplice ask for entry to the store, so employees buzzed her in. The man followed quickly behind her and threatened employees with physical harm. He then stole an estimated $50,000 from the Cobble Hill shop. Manning responded by installing new, updated security systems.

That second robbery was like a casual event to the robber, Manning says, noting that the man said “Hi, I’m back,” to the employee. He also came a time when the area police are on a shift change, showing that he understood how to attack stores openly.

“I’m angry not just because of the loss, which is devastating and relatively catastrophic. I’m angry at the emotional damage he’s caused my team,” Manning says. “We now live in a state of anxiety. That we’re all scared. That we don’t know what will happen.”

However, Manning says she won’t let those emotions change her or her business. To that end, she plans on creating actionable plans for her store, her community, and society to change this situation from one of despair to something better.

“In all honesty, I’m not angry so much at [the robber] as I’m angry at the continued divide in our culture. Our complacent acceptance of politicians to make us hate each other,” Manning says. “It’s about us acknowledging each other as human beings. We need a better culture where crime isn’t the only opportunity for many people around us. We all have an obligation to each other, and we’re not meeting that obligation.”

To date, Manning has gone on numerous television stations and talked to media across traditional and jewelry publications to tell her story. Because she spoke openly, Manning says she hopes others can prevent such occurrences in their stores or communities. Plus, other jewelers who had a similar robbery, perhaps with the same suspect, were able to communicate what they experienced to police.

Manning believes this robber targets female-owned or -operated jewelry stores as well, making these crimes even more troubling. Still, she hopes that people will not only rally to help identify this suspect, but that they will realize there are systemic issues that surround crime that need to be addressed in real and substantive ways.

Finding ways to help people with jobs, education, and opportunity won’t be easy—but Manning says she has based her brand and her life on helping others, and she wants to have these conversations and take action.

“I’ve done everything in my power to operate a responsible business in my community, and I’m proud of that,” Manning says. “I do feel tested right now, [but] I know how I want to walk through the world and I’m going to be brave and do it.”

Top: An unidentified male robbed Melissa Joy Manning’s Brooklyn jewelry store twice, a crime that the jewelry designer says has shaken her to her core but also will inspire additional effort for her part to see a better world come out of such crimes. (Photos courtesy of Melissa Joy Manning)

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“Make no mistake: Crime against retail establishments, including jewelry stores, are at the highest levels seen in over 20–30 years,” says Andrew Chipman, vice president of jewelers block at Berkley Asset Protection.

“Armed robberies, smash-grab-run, grab-and-run, after-hours out-of-safe losses have all increased dramatically in 2022, and have been increasing since 2020—especially due to the pandemic,” says Chipman, who has 17 years of experience in the jewelers’ block insurance space, helping jewelers with loss-prevention advice.

To that end, both Berkley Asset Protection and Jewelers Mutual Group are working with jewelers who are stepping up their safety and security standards.

On Dec. 1, Jewelers Mutual announced its new Partner for Protection movement, which it describes as a rallying cry that gives jewelers actionable tips to protect themselves, their staff, and their businesses in light of recent crime. Partner for Protection is a pledge that gives jewelers a digital tool kit, store assets, and information to boost safety and awareness in their local communities.

Jewelers Mutual says U.S. jewelry industry crime is up 15% year-over-year and has risen 50% from 2019. Some states are seeing dramatic increases. For example, California jewelers experienced a 200% increase in smash-and-grab robberies in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021, according to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA).

In some Canadian communities, daytime crime, including armed robberies, smash-and-grabs, and grab-and-runs have increased more than 300% year- over-year, according to data derived from JSA and Jewelers Mutual.

Risk management and education are core to the loss-prevention practices at Jewelers Mutual, says Mike Alexander, chief operating officer. As a result, Jewelers Mutual Group is revamping its online learning program with support from JSA, launching a new curriculum of interactive foundational courses in early 2023, Alexander says.

“The courses are designed to help retailers train their staff on how to be a less likely target to criminals with topics on preventing burglary, theft, and robbery as well as proper procedures for traveling with merchandise, disaster/emergency preparation, and more,” Alexander says.

Jewelers Mutual also is collaborating with JSA and Jewellers Vigilance Canada to step up those relationships, Alexander says. The trends they find also guide the expansion of its risk services portfolio “to fill the gaps in service needs and help jewelers make their businesses safer and more secure,” he says.

“This work is essential to provide the right resources, services, and risk solutions to help jewelry businesses protect themselves. Through our collaborations, we are able to share up-to-date crime data as well as provide key education and resources from experts throughout the industry,” Alexander says.

At Berkley Asset Protection, Chipman says they are asking jewelers to take some immediate and long-term actions to protect themselves. Jewelers could have a meeting with sales staff as they go into the all-important holiday season, reminding everyone of security protocols. These can range from blocking customers from wearing hooded sweatshirts or sunglasses in the store to carefully screening shipping carrier delivery people and requiring them to show identification to be allowed into the store.

“Most criminals understand that jewelers are displaying more inventory around the holiday season. As a result, they see this as an opportune time to strike given the increased values, better chances of having distracted staff due to helping holiday shoppers, and the challenge of jewelers not being able to have an adequate number of staff given the labor crunch,” Chipman says.

Chipman says Berkley creates tip sheets for jewelers and recommends businesses invest in security at every level: heavy-duty laminate showcases, upgrading to a CCTV system in 4K, and cameras pointed both at the entrance and the safes or vaults in case burglars can get past the alarm system.

“Criminals want to be in and out of the store as quickly as possible, generally 2–3 minutes at most,” Chipman says. “Implementing [these tips] will reduce the amount they can get in that time.”

Jewelers themselves have noticed the surge and are working together through social media, including a new Facebook group specifically targeted at sharing information and creating local crime alerts and other forms of communication to highlight best practices and advice about what they’re seeing in their individual communities.

Top: Jewelers Mutual Group’s Mike Alexander is helping launch Partner for Protection, which seeks to create an “industry-wide movement dedicated to building awareness and promoting collective action” (photo courtesy of Jewelers Mutual Group). 

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