5) Damiani Showroom - Milan - 2008 - £13 Million(01 of05)
Open Image ModalWhere: Damiani showroom, Milan, ItalyWhen: 03/02/2008Value: £13 millionPerpetrators: UnknownWhat happened: The Damiani building was equipped with an armed guard patrolling the front door, and a high tech alarm system. Unperturbed, the thieves drilled a hole through the four foot thick wall separating the showroom from next door’s basement. Dressed in police uniforms, they walked in, tied up staff at gunpoint and within half an hour had escaped out of their hole with diamonds, rubies and gold.Scarily: Thieves picked the perfect time to execute the raid, all the diamonds were on show for a private viewing but there were no visitors in the show room.You probably didn't know: Well not quite perfect timing, it was right in the middle of the Oscars when they were completing the robbery. With many celebrities wearing the diamonds, their haul could have been much bigger. (credit:AP)
4) Brinks MAT - London - 1983 - £25 Million(02 of05)
Open Image ModalWhere: Warehouse at Heathrow AirportWhen: 26/11/1983Value: £25.5million worth of gold and diamondsPerpetrators (Sentence): Micky McAvoy (25 years), Brian Robinson (25 years), Kenneth Noye (14 years)What happened:One of the robbers was a guard at the warehouse, giving inside information. The criminals handcuffed the guards before forcing them to tell them the security codes. They could then use the warehouse’s own forklift truck to move the 76 boxes of gold and diamonds.Scarily: Only three of the estimated fifteen robbers were ever caught, and much of the gold was never recovered, having been mixed with other metals to make it untraceable.You probably didn't know:The men expected to find cash rather than gold in the warehouse, so planned the robbery to only take five minutes. When they discovered the much heavier gold bullions, the heist took all of two hours. (credit:PA)
3) Antwerp Diamond Centre - Antwerp - 2003 - £65 Million(03 of05)
Open Image ModalWhere: Antwerp Diamond CentreWhen: 16/02/2003Value: £65 millionPerpetrators: Five man team led by Leonardo Notarbartolo (only sentenced to 10 years due to lack of evidence)What happened: The robbers rented a room in the building above for two years, to gain time analysing the alarm system. They also managed to make copies of the keys to the vault and insert fake videos into the security cameras. Having stolen the contents of 123 safety deposit boxes, they found so many diamonds that they had to leave 37 vaults unopened.Scarily:The loot was never recovered, when Italian police found evidence it mysteriously disappeared from another “secure location”. (credit:AP)
2) Graff Diamonds - London - 2009 - £42 Million(04 of05)
Open Image ModalWhere: Graff Diamonds, London, EnglandWhen: 06/08/2009Value: £42 millionPerpetrators (Sentence): 10 men were behind the operation, but Craig Calderwood (21 years) and Aman Kassaye (23 years) actually carried out the plan.What happened: Kassaye and Calderwood hired a professional makeup artist to edit the appearance of their faces through prosthetics and skin tone. They then walked into the shop, and forced employees to open jewelry cases with handguns. When changing cars on their getaway, one of the criminals left a mobile phone behind, meaning that police could trace and eventually arrest both men.You probably didn't know: The criminals could have been caught much faster through finger print recognition, had it not been for the eccentric behavior of Graff clients. This meant the robbers were permitted entry despite wearing leather gloves. (credit:AP)
1) Harry Winston Store - Paris - 2008 - £70 Million(05 of05)
Open Image ModalWhere: Harry Winston Store, Paris, FranceWhen: 04/10/2008Value: £70 millionPerpetrators: 4 unknown menWhat happened:Four men, three disguised as women, walked into the Harry Winston jewelry store, with a hand grenade and .357 Magnum. They knew which cases to smash open and ordered the staff about by their first names, suggesting an inside job. However, within 15 minutes, the men had escaped, and were never found.You probably did't know: The Harry Winston Jewelry Store is on the same road as a police station (credit:AP)