The Liberty Bell Has Been Stolen!

Ok, ok, calm down, I’m not talking about this liberty bell.

I’m talking about this one.

I'm giggling a little bit at the confused looks that I'm sure are firmly planted on your faces right now. And trust me, I was right there with you. Ehem, Allow me to present, The Liberty Bell Ruby. A stone that is in fact so famous, that I had never heard about it. That is, until someone stole it. And not just any someones, these guys. Now wanted by the FBI and appearing on a recent installment of America’s Most Wanted. And I have to ask why? It’s not like these guys ran in shooting everyone in sight. If I had to compile a list of people that I most wanted the FBI to nab, these guys wouldn’t make it too high on my list. I mean look at them, a couple of garden variety, mask wearing dudes except for the guy at the top right in this FBI video screen shot. Apparently, he was so unenthused about the whole thing, that he felt in need of a nap during the robbery. 

Anyways, the “one-of-a-kind”, stolen ruby was valued at a mind numbing $2 million. My first thought was, of course it was one-of-a-kind, who’d want to bother making a second one? This could just be me having flashbacks to the Teodora “emerald” though so feel free to ignore my misgivings on the supposed value of this stone.  However, all of that aside, the piece is quite a bit more impressive when you hear its stats. You see, when I first saw the picture, I couldn’t believe that someone would pay 2 million dollars for what looked like a 2 inch souvenir carving that I could have bought at Dollywood. Not that I would knock those carvings, not at all, especially since I bought one myself when I was ten. It was shaped like a horsey and I loved it, even though my parents questioned my sanity when they had to lug a horse shaped rock all the way home from Tennessee. But back to the Liberty Bell. At the time of its discovery it weighed 8,500 carats and was listed in the Guinness Book as the “largest uncut ruby in the world”. Right, because when something receives acclaim for being the largest uncut something or other in the world, my first thought is that it should stay uncut. But hey, I’m weird that way. Obviously, since the first thing that happened after the stone came to prominence was, someone cut it.

And it was actually two someones, well known jewelry do-gooders the Kazanjian brothers who had founded Jewels for Charity a few years prior and received acclaim for their carved Sapphire busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Martin Luther King Jr. which were then displayed in the Oval Office. So, in keeping with their patriotic aesthetic, the brothers carved the seven pound stone into a rendering of the Liberty Bell encircled by the powerful wings of a Bald Eagle. To be honest, I didn’t even notice the eagle until I read the article. And even then, it looks like a cloak with an eagle’s head attached, kind of like those bear skin rugs. Seriously, just look at how flat the wings are. But anyways, fifty round brilliant diamonds completed the piece, representing the fifty states. The finished carving was presented at the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 and measures 5.5 inches high by 3.5 inches wide and weighs in a about 4 pounds. This picture makes it look a bit more impressive.

The FBI is currently asking that anyone with information on the whereabouts of the missing gem to contact them immediately. And now I’m back again to questioning why someone would steal this thing in the first place. It’s heavy, cumbersome, and totally unsellable aside from good old Dollywood. There is always the thief mantra of re-cut resell to worry about as well. Famous gems throughout history have been re-cut to hide their origins after a theft including the very famous Hope diamond. However, owner Jim Stein is not that worried, noting that the stone isn’t gem quality. So, to sum up, we have a Dollywood-worthy carving of the Liberty Bell wearing a cape surrounded by 50 small diamonds. 

Hrmm, so, what do you think? Would you pay $2 million for the Liberty Bell? What do you think the thieves will do with it? We’d love to hear any fantastic stories you come up with. The more creative the better!