Now here is a dilemma ....... what would you do?

The majority of my jewellery is in a locked safe, in a non visible place, but it means I rarely wear it as it’s a faff getting it out.

Prefer that to losing it or having it stolen, but it’s sad we can’t have stuff handy around our own home.

Perhaps you’ve already tried this, but it just occurred to me - have you tried googling (brief description of missing ring) on eBay? I just did, and there are some on there advertised as pre-used. If, by some slim chance, you found your rings advertised there at least you’d confirm they’d been stolen.

very unwise to go out and leave a person you hardly know in your house while you go out.

you say you may have moved them and forgotten, have a very good search in that case!

If it were me I would go to the local pawn shop and have a look round! Also potentially look on eBay and Facebook Marketplace ....

Had something similar happen to me once - I was going in for major (planned this time) surgery, and before I left home, I put my earrings, gold chain and an amethyst ring into a freezer bag, and put it a small drawer that was in my table and where I always sat - when I returned home 10 days later, they were all gone. Turned out my daughter had had a party whilst I was away and someone must have swiped them all ... gutted as the chain was the last thin my dad ever bought me, and the ring was a present from my great aunt on my 21st birthday, and it had been given her on her 21st birthday ... horrible feeling. Of course at the time daughter swore blind that nobody had been in, so I was concerned it may have been her (teenager). I was very upset ...

A friend of mine lost a valuable ring and became convinced that a builder was responsible as no one else had been in. Didn't say anything but scroll forward a few years when the bathroom was being replaced and the ring was found when the sink was removed. A necklace was found in this house when a radiator was removed and a watch in the fitted furniture. Just goes to show that things are not always clear cut.

Personally, I would ask both cleaners if they had seen them…to gage their reaction. I would also imply that I would be contacting the police.

My Mum had little jewellery of value other than her wedding and engagement rings which never left her finger. Dad had bought her a very pretty ring on their ruby wedding anniversary. He was so proud he’d been able to quietly save to do it, a total surprise for Mum. They weren’t well off.

Mum wore the ring when she was going out or at family times. After her death we couldn’t find it. The box was there, no ring. My Dad was distraught, eventually comforting himself by telling everyone it was OK, Mum must have given it to someone. This sat better with him than to suspect carers or neighbours who had visited and sat with Mum while he went out. Of course we all knew it wouldn’t have been given away, it meant too much.

Dad moved after a couple of years, we hoped the ring would turn up as we packed, it didn’t. After 30 years it still angers me to think about it. Someone they trusted had stolen from them. I’m sorry you’ve this upset lucky, I don’t know what I’d do in your shoes. Maybe have a quiet word with our local PCSO who is very helpful. We can’t replace the irreplaceable.

We lost things belonging to our mother after she died and whilst her husband was being nursed at home.
It could have been any one or several of the carers, or a member of his family.
Or a mixture of both.
I cannot tell you how angry I am. Still, 4 years on.
It's an awful predicament to be in.
I would check the pawn shops (you can ofter do this online) and online shops like FB selling etc. If you find them buy them back then go and speak to her. If they are up for sale online now, you would know its the new cleaner?

BazingaGranny
That's a truly horrible story .
I think that eventually
thieves become greedy and that is their undoing .

The girl , who took my necklace had also taken money from a locked cashbox having found the hidden key .

I dread to think what else she took .

I think food regularly
and certainly all my new underwear !

She had the sweetest face with a permanent smile as she ripped me off .

Sorry to hear this I would have a quiet word with the local police and ask their advice with this. When I was a manager in a small care home certain things went missing the police were very helpful here and eventually caught the culprit it’s not a nice feeling but you really can’t let this go by who knows this young person may be known to the police good luck

I am so sorry, it is so awful. We had a car key stolen (and much later the car to which the key belonged). As we had a mini escapologist grandchild at the time the doors were always locked. It happened over Christmas so we had to accept that it must have been a visitor to our home. We think it was a friend of my stepson, but obviously had no proof. The key, and then car, being stolen was an inconvenience, but it unsettled me greatly to think someone we knew well and trusted had stolen from us.

Similarly my late Mum’s wedding ring was stolen after her death. Sadly, I think it may have been my Dad’s cleaner. The ring was rather worn and probably of little value really, but it broke my heart as my Mum loved it.

We have a small safe now, but the two pieces of jewellery I wear most are not kept in there as I want them to hand. It’s sad we can’t trust people.

Also look of Facebook’s Marketplace, another popular site for selling stuff.

My daughter had this with her cleaner,too. Things just disappeared.She had been ill after one of her children was born but luckily recovered and used that as a reason for no longer having her cleaner. A pity because she was a nice person, very personable. Sometimes it seems they just can’t help it. She never said anything to her.

We had a cleaner for 20+ years. Her stealing came to light when she used my cash card to get £500 from the local ATM and was photographed on the bank camera. It turned out she had been stealing from us for years including cash left out for our children, cat food, sweets, washing powder, etc. She also took from other clients. I was very upset, my husband was furious, we gave her every chance to explain or apologise, we even suggested she might have picked up my card by mistake - it seems she had intercepted the post for my new card and later that week the new PIN number!

She then blamed me and went round to our neighbours saying I had overspent and didn’t want to tell my husband! All deeply, deeply unpleasant and upsetting. I didnt get the money back from the bank because I refused to press charges.

I think we were hugely unlucky with our first cleaner, and we now have a fabulous cleaner, but I am more watchful. There are good and kind people out there and most cleaners are very honest. It was a VERY steep learning curve! 🌷

As each of my cleaners have left for one reason or another, she has suggested a friend to take over from her.
The last three have come from Albania and I will never forget my surprise at the first one telling me she had been turned down for all the cleaning jobs she’d gone after, as Albanians had a bad reputation. She said that she’d decided to tell me that if anything went missing then she would expect me to ask her first if she’d seen it and report it to the police second.
I’m now on my 3rd Albanian lass and now all 3 have said the same thing to me.
They all know each other of course so I hear what’s going on in their lives after they leave.

What a horrible situation to be in.

Some really sad stories on here illustrating just how careful we all need to be with those we let into our homes.

A strong safe bolted to a wall or floor filled with all valuables seems to be something everyone should have.

Thieves of course always appear trustworthy and charming on the surface, otherwise they wouldn’t get a foot in the door.

My cleaner came via an agency who vets references and insures her. Even then I always stay in the house when she's here.

I have a super, metallic lockable box, where I put all my jewellery. The ones I use daily are in a little ceramic pot on the kitchen window. The only jewellery that was lost, was by my careless daughter…… 2 expensive watches. She will inherit most of my jewellery, but if she loses it, I won’t be here to fret over it.

And this is why I won't have a cleaner. My friend had a very expensive pair of binoculars dissappear from a drawer. Didn't notice until weeks after cleaner had left. Same scenario young girl setting up in business on her own. Ring her up and ask her if she's seen them. If not report to police.

This happened to my niece 15 years ago while she was going to hospital for migraine treatment. She had employed a cleaner for 6 months while she was ill and trusted her totally even giving her a key to the house. On returning from the hospital after an over night stay she was distraught to find her home literally stripped, not just cash and precious jewellery but expensive ornaments and even items of furniture and bedding, LP record collection, and unbelievably cupboards of food, freezer and even a washing machine. A neighbour saw the cleaner and two men loading a van and did ask what was happening only to be told my niece was moving out to stay with her mother until she was better, such evil cruelty. My niece has never got over this losing her personal jewellery was the worst even though her husband replaced it nothing was ever the same. How do you learn to trust again after something like this. I do hope lucky girl your name comes true and you find your missing rings but all you can do now is vet every person who has access to your house. I’m incidentally the thieves were finally caught by the police three years later and 200 miles away and it turned out they were professionals and had been doing this for years they were finally given a prison sentence.

How sad, i would definitely look at all aspects, ie checking pawn shops and jewellery shops that buy jewellery, also check all selling forums, ebay, facebook, gumtree etc . Also maybe consider installing security cameras, if anyone is honest they won't mind the cameras, if they do mind, get a new cleaner its such a shame you have to be suspicious of everyone these days

Oreo

Calendargirl it makes you a real sensible person.
When you employ a cleaner you know nothing about their past or character.Don’t leave valuable items on show when a cleaner comes round or in drawers or cupboards as they can easily be found.Keep jewellery in your handbag with you or behind tins of food in the kitchen if you must.
why does anyone trust somebody they really don’t know?
What a shame for you Luckygirl to lose treasured items in this way, but if you have other jewellery, loose change, cash, cheque book, credit and debit cards and anything else, keep it on you while a cleaner is in the house.
Other things can be taken too, watches, small ornaments, perfume and so on.

Quite good advice, but really we cannot keep everything we would hate to loose in our handbags!

Doing so, or keeping it behind tins in the kitchen cupboard or the like, might deter a cleaner who was out to nick stuff, but is no help against a con artist who gains entry to your home, or a burglar.

Buy a small safe in a DIY store and put it in some not too obvious place, such as a box room - bolted to the floor and keep jewelry and spare cash, passport, bank statements and important documents like your will, birth and marriage certificates and the deeds of your house in it - as it should be fireproof as well as buglar-proof.

If you have larger objects, such as valuable paintings or furniture, speak to a crime prevention officer. You used to be able to mark things with invisible ink, so they could be traced if stolen and sold to a fence, or simply lock a room off when the cleaner comes in, if you have things there you don't want her poking her nose into, or helping herself to.

Prevention is better than a cure!

Unfortunately not much you can do. Good advice above though to ring cleaner and just ask if she's seen them as you can't find them now. Otherwise try to claim on insurance which may mean you need to contact police for an incident number. So sad that the default now is to distrust people just in case but once bitten...

I am about to have a decorator in. He is actually my son’s closest friend, so I was assuming he can be trusted, but this thread has now made me nervous about leaving him alone in the house. Probably I am being silly but now I am definitely not going to go away overnight as I might have done.

just on a connected vein. I have always been careful about jewellery etc but when we moved, the strain and stress of it all, means that you are up to your eyes in getting sorted and are not likely to be going anywhere much in the beginning. So it was a couple of months before I wanted my gold necklace and always kept it in jewellery box and it had gone. It could only have been one of the removal men. I have moved 19 times as an adult and am quite organised etc. If I had found out as soon as we had moved I could have probably traced it, as it was a three strand different gold carat to this country and I bought it with my earnings as a singer in Portugal. Too late to try and prove anything then but now I make that one of the jobs I check on the removal day however weary I feel. So you may also think of checking things in a moving situaton