Start checking pawn shops. They have to turn that jewelry into cash somehow

Man, with is wrong with people? Pawn shops barely pay for gems, they look at the gold. Unless they move it privately, they're probably going to be disappointed. I hope they catch them.

I don’t get with skiing has to do with jewelry

They are a small business. They'll set up anywhere a large number of people gather.

Anyone smart enough to get familiar with the layout of the place beforehand (whatever that means) will be smart enough to not pawn or sell the stuff in Maine.

Checking Maine area marketplace pages is going to be no better than checking Google street view for license plates.

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That part of the the state is where Maine gemstones such as tourmaline comes from.

Man, with all those gems laying about, you'd think their security would be top notch. I hope they have good insurance, I know small businesses have it rough.

Alarm systems are cheap. I can't think of one good reason they did not have one.

It's a river

I figured the wide world of Reddit may help spread the word with how popular Sunday River is. Lost of folks in this sub live in or frequent other states. Here’s hoping.

The man that runs that shop is just the sweetest. Heartbroken this happened in my community, especially to him!

Doubt the thieves will attempt to sell that haul in-state. More likely to show up in a big city somewhere where folks do not know they are stolen items.

That's terrible.

Yes. Lots of gemstones from around there.

The largest tourmaline pocket in North America was found in Newry. The store was knocked over two days after the founder of the pocket and a huge staple in the community and the geology world, Frank Perham, passed away. Gems are a significant part of Sunday River and Newry’s history. There is a lot to the community in addition to skiing and it’s a heartbreaking week for many.

Sunday River remains a vital location for minerals; they recently discovered a billion+ dollar lithium deposit (the largest discovered in the world) there that’s tied up in the courts with the couple who owns the property and the DEP.

Yeah, I heard that there is a fight going on right now about open pit mining in that area. Pretty shiny rocks aside, I don’t think that’s anything we want in Maine.

And that’s the point. None of us want that but this couple found something worth 1.5B on their property and they can’t profit off of it, which we can all imagine the disappointment of, because of some vague laws passed five years ago that seem generally favorable, just impacting this couples future by billions. The decision could change the shape and dynamic of Newry forever. Gems and minerals continue to be an essential part of our history and future.

Just terrible to hear. I didn’t realize Frank passed away! I grew up rock hounding in some of his mines.

I love his mines. His whole collection at the mineral & gem museum is incredible. Here’s his obituary if you want to tug at your heart strings and read about his amazing life.

That would be the smart thing to do.

Thank you, my dad brought me to a lot of his open mines and we went to his rock and gem shows. I’m sure my dad already knows but I’m still gonna forward this to him.

Or melt down the metal and recut the gems. Doubt the thieves are THAT smart though

Yeah, I just don’t think shiny rocks are really worth destroying the environment over. It also seems like people should be able to go skiing without having to shop for jewelry.

I think they will be caught soon, those are not easy things to get rid of quickly or discretely.

You’d think. But they had a “sense of security” which apparently was good enough until actual security was required.

I mean if you’re so insistent on diminishing a vital facet of the community to “shiny rocks” (you’re evidently not familiar with lithium batteries) you’re probably not the shops target demographic. Also, the jewelry store isn’t on the resort. It’s on the way to it, as are other businesses like bars, restaurants, dispensaries, post offices, and storage facilities. What do they have to do with skiing? You think the town should require, “What do you have to do with skiing?” when these businesses submit their proposals? The entire community doesn’t have to eat, breathe, and sustain themselves off of skiing. Good grief.

Unfortunately, we live in a world that can be cruel. If you're running a business you really should do whatever you need to, to protect your business. You'll make the money back for the costs of security in time. But it is a cost of doing business.

Even if it is "just Maine" and usually super safe, there's always a chance for that to not be the case, whether it be a resident or the millions of tourists we see each year. People are people and have the ability to do both good and bad.

It’ll go to a gem show out west. It’s crazy how fast stuff gets moved around. Steal in the west, sell in the east, and vice versa.

Jewelry thieves have a reputation for being resourceful and for covering their tracks. They appear to have had a plan for the carrying out the theft; they likely have a plan for disposing of the stolen goods, too.

More than likely it’s on its way out of state having been traded for a couple days fix worth of heroin. It will if I were a wagering man I would put odds on it turning up somewhere between Connecticut and New York.

In related news look for an OD in the area in the next day or two and you have a prime suspect.

Ohhhh, I never thought of that. Criminy.

Did the business have any cameras or security system? Seems like a very unfortunate lesson to learn the hard way.

They definitely needed it more, life is too expensive, insurance will cover it

That's terrible! Were there any cameras in the store or nearby? I hope the thief gets caught.