No. of Recommendations: 2
I remember a day when kids would rather be dead than have their parents walk them around on Halloween. While some of the good-natured tricks and jokes could potentially hurt people, by and large most of us regard those days (maybe in the mists of time) with wry affection. Today, parents seem to assume that their children are definitely targets on that day which require active protection.
Now, let's move sideways to jewelry. The world is awash in jewelry stores. These sell everything from engagement rings that seem to be a cultural necessity to elaborate creations costing a king's ransom. So, someone buys these things, else they would not be offered for sale in the quantities one sees. But, when was the last time you saw someone walking around the grocery store wearing more than a chachka or two.
What amazes me is the premium people mentally place on "natural" gems which are technically inferior (in color, inclusions, etc.) to lab-grown chemically identical gems which allows them to justify paying one or two orders of magnitude more.
So, who wears these items "in the open"? First of all, people who live in countries where the general population has a social restraint against theft - such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Switzerland, most of the the Nordic countries, the Gulf states and, in the English-speaking world - well nobody.
Canada has moved sharply into elevated territory — arguably now comparable to the UK or parts of Western Europe for jewellery-specific crime, with organized smash-and-grab networks operating at scale.
Australia has long had higher property crime rates than its wealth levels might suggest, and the recent surge puts it solidly in the "high" category globally on a per-capita basis.
New Zealand is the lowest of the three, but the trajectory is concerning — it appears to be following the pattern Australia established a few years earlier, with organized retail crime increasingly driving the numbers.
None of the three approaches the extremes of Brazil, South Africa, or the high-volume European markets, but all three have seen crime worsen materially since 2022.
France is consistently cited as one of the world's top targets for jewelry crime. In the United Kingdom, London ranks among the highest in Europe for jewelry theft. The United States has the largest absolute volume of jewelry theft, simply due to population and wealth. Italy — particularly Milan, Rome, and Florence — sees high rates of tourist-targeted theft (pickpocketing of jewelry) as well as organized store robberies. Belgium — Antwerp, as the world's diamond trading capital, has been the site of some of history's most spectacular gem heists. (In fact, Diamond and gem markets attract targeted professional theft wherever they concentrate - Antwerp, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, New York's 47th Street, Jaipur, Bangkok, Columbo). Brazil has seen a sharp rise in "lightning kidnappings", particularly around São Paulo. Jewelry store robberies are frequent and often violent. Johannesburg, South Africa, is a global hotspot, with high rates of both retail jewelry theft and violent robbery of individuals wearing jewelry.
None of the North African countries approaches the organized, high-value retail jewelry crime seen in France, Belgium, or increasingly Canada — the pattern here is almost entirely opportunistic and individual rather than professional and systematic.
Which goes to show that much of Europe and North America rank in the same category as much of sub-Saharan Africa, while Asia, Northern Europe and the Gulf states tend to be less dangerous (and may account for the popularity of "heavy-duty" jewelry in some of those areas).
Jeff
It's a bit messy, but ... (I'm not sure how "crime index" is arrived at but:
Very low <35
Low 35–47
Moderate 47–57
High 57–68
Very high) 69+
1 Venezuela 81.2
Very high
Among the world's highest violent crime rates; jewellery robbery common and often armed
2 Papua New Guinea 79.7
Very high
Very high violent crime; gold mining region theft a major issue
3 Afghanistan 78.3
Very high
Conflict zone; rule of law absent in many areas
4 Haiti 77.9
Very high
Widespread gang control; high robbery rates including jewellery
5 South Africa 75.4
Very high
One of the world's worst for jewellery theft; violent smash-and-grabs and robbery of individuals wearing jewellery endemic
6 Honduras 73.4
Very high
High violent crime; jewellery snatching common in urban areas
7 Trinidad And Tobago 70.8
Very high
High robbery rates; jewellery targeted in street crime
8 Syria 69.1
Very high
Conflict zone
9 Yemen 68.6
Very high
Conflict zone
10 Jamaica 68.1
Very high
High robbery rate; tourists targeted for jewellery in resort areas
11 Peru 67.8
High
Lima a hotspot for jewellery theft; organized motorcycle snatch gangs operate widely
12 Guyana 67.3
High
High robbery rates; jewellery targeted
13 Angola 66.5
High
High overall crime; jewellery theft significant in Luanda
14 Nigeria 66.2
High
High; Lagos sees significant jewellery robbery and gold market theft
15 Brazil 65.6
High
Very high; São Paulo and Rio among global hotspots for jewellery robbery including armored car ambushes
16 Somalia 65.2
High
Conflict/failed state conditions
17 Bolivia 64.6
High
High opportunistic theft in tourist areas
18 Argentina 64.2
High
Rising sharply; Buenos Aires seeing surge in motorbike jewellery snatching since 2022
19 Namibia 63.9
High
High overall crime; urban jewellery theft notable
20 Mozambique 63.7
High
High crime in Maputo; jewellery snatching reported
21 Cameroon 63.5
High
High; security situation unstable in some regions
22 Ecuador 62.1
High
Sharp crime increase since 2022; jewellery robbery rising
23 US Virgin Islands 62.1
High
High property crime in tourist areas
24 Puerto Rico 61.7
High
Elevated; jewellery stores targeted in smash-and-grabs
25 Bangladesh 61.5
High
High opportunistic theft; gold jewellery particularly targeted
26 El Salvador 61.3
High
Historically very high; improving under government crackdown but remains elevated
27 Colombia 61.2
High
High; Bogotá and Medellín see significant jewellery theft and 'paseo millonario' (express kidnapping) targeting jewellery
28 Zimbabwe 60.9
High
High crime rate; jewellery theft significant
29 Dominican Republic 60.5
High
Elevated; tourist-area jewellery theft and robbery reported
30 Libya 60.4
High
Conflict conditions; militias and organized crime dominant — negligible tourism
31 Guatemala 59.5
High
High; armed robbery including jewellery common
32 Chile 59.3
High
Surging since 2020; Santiago sees organized jewellery store raids and personal robbery
33 Fiji 57.3
High
Moderate-high; tourist-area theft including jewellery reported
34 Ivory Coast 57.1
High
High in Abidjan; gold jewellery theft significant
35 Bahamas 56.5
Moderate
Elevated in Nassau; tourist jewellery theft reported
36 Kenya 56.4
Moderate
High in Nairobi; jewellery snatching and store theft common
37 France 55.3
Moderate
One of Europe's worst for jewellery crime; Paris sees high-profile heists and widespread tourist-targeted theft. 2025 Louvre Crown Jewels heist (€88M)
38 Maldives 55.0
Moderate
Moderate; resort theft including jewellery reported
39 Uganda 55.0
Moderate
High in Kampala; jewellery theft common
40 Tanzania 54.5
Moderate
Elevated; tourist-targeted theft in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam
41 Kyrgyzstan 54.0
Moderate
Moderate-high; petty theft prevalent
42 Mexico 53.8
Moderate
High; organized crime involved in jewellery store robberies; tourist areas also targeted
43 Costa Rica 53.7
Moderate
Elevated; San José sees jewellery snatching from tourists
44 Belize 53.0
Moderate
Elevated crime; tourist areas targeted
45 Cambodia 52.8
Moderate
Moderate-high; bag and jewellery snatching by motorbike common
46 Mongolia 52.4
Moderate
Moderate; Ulaanbaatar sees property crime including jewellery theft
47 Nicaragua 52.2
Moderate
Moderate; improving but elevated theft
48 Botswana 52.2
Moderate
Moderate; diamond industry creates specific theft risks
49 Uruguay 52.2
Moderate
Moderate; Montevideo jewellery theft rising
50 Algeria 52.2
Moderate
Moderate; muggings and purse/jewellery snatching on the rise in cities
51 North Korea 51.7
Moderate
No reliable data; closed society
52 Paraguay 50.9
Moderate
Moderate-high; Ciudad del Este a transit hub for stolen goods
53 Belarus 50.8
Moderate
Moderate; property crime elevated
54 Ethiopia 50.8
Moderate
Moderate-high; Addis Ababa sees opportunistic theft
55 Malaysia 50.7
Moderate
Moderate; Kuala Lumpur sees snatch theft targeting gold jewellery — a persistent local pattern
56 Myanmar 50.4
Moderate
Conflict conditions in many regions; data unreliable
57 Iran 49.5
Moderate
Moderate; limited tourism means limited data on tourist-targeted jewellery crime
58 United States 49.3
Moderate
High absolute volume — ~1,420 jewellery firm crimes in 2024 ($142.5M losses); South American theft groups driving sophisticated burglaries
59 Belgium 49.2
Moderate
High for a wealthy nation; Antwerp Diamond District site of world-record heists; organized European crime networks active
60 Sweden 48.4
Moderate
Moderate and rising; organized gang involvement in jewellery robbery increasing
61 Mauritius 47.8
Moderate
Moderate; tourist jewellery theft reported
62 New Zealand 47.7
Moderate
Moderate and rising; retail theft up 17% in 2024; following Australia's upward trajectory
63 United Kingdom 47.4
Moderate
High for jewellery specifically; Hatton Garden and London smash-and-grabs; organized Eastern European gangs active
64 Italy 47.3
Moderate
High tourist-targeted theft; Naples and Rome hotspots; transit point for fenced stolen gems
65 Egypt 47.3
Moderate
Moderate; scams more common than jewellery theft; 2025 pharaoh's bracelet museum theft highlighted institutional security gaps
66 Australia 47.1
Moderate
High and rising; among highest per-capita retail theft globally; jewellery store smash-and-grabs increasing sharply
67 Barbados 47.1
Moderate
Moderate; tourist-area jewellery theft reported
68 Ukraine 46.9
Low
Conflict conditions affecting data reliability
69 Greece 46.7
Low
Moderate; tourist-targeted theft in Athens and islands; jewellery snatching from tourists common
70 Ireland 46.5
Low
Moderate; Dublin sees organized retail crime including jewellery
71 Morocco 46.5
Low
Moderate; tourist-targeted jewellery and bag snatching in Marrakech and Fez medinas; Brigade Touristique polices main areas
72 Lebanon 46.4
Low
Moderate; economic collapse has elevated property crime significantly
73 Zambia 46.4
Low
Moderate; opportunistic theft in Lusaka
74 Indonesia 46.1
Low
Moderate; gold jewellery snatching by motorbike common in Bali and Jakarta
75 Kazakhstan 45.9
Low
Moderate; Almaty sees property crime including jewellery theft
76 Albania 45.6
Low
Moderate; Albanian organized crime networks active in European jewellery theft rings
77 Sudan 45.4
Low
Conflict conditions
78 Canada 45.2
Low
High and surging for jewellery specifically; store robberies up 250% year-over-year; Toronto smash-and-grabs up 105% in 2024
79 Moldova 45.1
Low
Moderate; property crime elevated
80 Iraq 44.7
Low
Post-conflict instability; limited reliable data
81 Tunisia 44.4
Low
Low to moderate; lowest crime index in North Africa; tourist pickpocketing main risk
82 Panama 44.3
Low
Moderate; Panama City sees opportunistic jewellery theft
83 India 44.3
Low
Moderate overall; gold jewellery theft culturally significant — India is the world's largest gold jewellery consumer and theft is substantial in absolute terms
84 Ghana 43.9
Low
Moderate; Accra sees property crime including jewellery
85 Pakistan 43.2
Low
Moderate; gold jewellery theft common given cultural prevalence of gold
86 Philippines 42.8
Low
Moderate; Manila sees jewellery snatching; organized goldsmith area theft reported
87 Vietnam 42.2
Low
Moderate; motorbike bag/jewellery snatching in Ho Chi Minh City a known risk for tourists
88 Palestine 42.1
Low
Conflict conditions
89 Sri Lanka 42.1
Low
Moderate; improving post-crisis; tourist-targeted theft reported
90 Kosovo 41.7
Low
Moderate; improving security situation
91 Malta 41.2
Low
Low-moderate; low violent crime; tourist pickpocketing main risk
92 North Macedonia 41.0
Low
Moderate; property crime present
93 Turkey 40.9
Low
Moderate; Istanbul bazaar areas see tourist-targeted jewellery theft and scams
94 Bosnia And Herzegovina 40.9
Low
Moderate; improving
95 Jordan 40.4
Low
Low-moderate; relatively safe; tourist-targeted petty theft in souks
96 Russia 39.1
Low
Moderate; property crime significant; limited tourism data post-2022
97 Germany 38.9
Low
Low-moderate; organized Eastern European gangs target jewellery stores; Berlin and Frankfurt have notable incidents
98 Serbia 38.3
Low
Low-moderate; improving
99 Montenegro 38.0
Low
Low-moderate; tourist-area theft in coastal areas
100 Thailand 37.9
Low
Low-moderate; gem scams more common than outright theft; tourist areas see bag snatching
101 Nepal 37.7
Low
Low-moderate; Kathmandu tourist-area theft reported
102 Bulgaria 37.1
Low
Low-moderate; pickpocketing in tourist areas
103 Hungary 36.8
Low
Low-moderate; Budapest sees tourist pickpocketing
104 Portugal 36.6
Low
Low-moderate; Lisbon tourist areas see rising pickpocketing including jewellery
105 Lithuania 36.4
Low
Low-moderate; property crime present
106 Romania 35.9
Low
Low-moderate; organized Romanian crime networks involved in European jewellery heists
107 Poland 35.8
Low
Low-moderate; Warsaw property crime manageable
108 Latvia 35.4
Low
Low-moderate
109 Spain 34.9
Very low
Low; Barcelona a European hotspot for tourist jewellery theft and pickpocketing; highly organized distraction gangs
110 Slovakia 34.5
Very low
Low
111 China 34.3
Very low
Low officially; gold jewellery theft occurs but strong law enforcement presence deters organized retail crime
112 Bahrain 34.2
Very low
Low; wealthy Gulf state with effective policing
113 Netherlands 34.1
Very low
Low-moderate; Amsterdam tourist areas see theft; organized Dutch crime networks involved in high-value jewellery heists
114 Croatia 33.5
Very low
Low; tourist-area petty theft in Dubrovnik and Split
115 Saudi Arabia 33.4
Very low
Low; strict law enforcement; jewellery theft rare
116 Israel 32.8
Very low
Low; diamond industry in Tel Aviv well-secured; street crime relatively low
117 Ukraine (pre-war baseline) 32.8
Very low
See current Ukraine entry above
118 Estonia 32.6
Very low
Low
119 Czechia 32.4
Very low
Low; Prague tourist areas see pickpocketing
120 Oman 31.9
Very low
Low; stable Gulf state
121 Slovenia 31.3
Very low
Low
122 Austria 30.8
Very low
Low; Vienna sees some tourist pickpocketing
123 Cyprus 30.3
Very low
Low
124 United Arab Emirates 29.2
Very low
Very low; Dubai's gold souk is massive yet extremely well-policed; severe penalties deter theft
125 Finland 27.5
Very low
Very low; among the safest in the world
126 Norway 27.1
Very low
Very low
127 Switzerland 26.6
Very low
Very low; Geneva and Zurich are global luxury watch/jewellery hubs with very low street crime; strong private security
128 Denmark 26.3
Very low
Very low
129 Singapore 25.2
Very low
Very low; one of the world's safest cities; harsh penalties; jewellery theft extremely rare
130 Iceland 24.5
Very low
Very low; among the safest countries globally
131 Japan 23.2
Very low
Very low; cultural norms and social cohesion produce remarkably low jewellery theft despite high density of luxury goods
132 South Korea 22.3
Very low
Very low; low street crime; organized retail crime rare
133 Taiwan 21.0
Very low
Very low
134 Hong Kong 17.6
Very low
Very low; historically one of the world's safest for jewellery despite massive jade and gold markets
No. of Recommendations: 2
I seldom wear jewelry (except perhaps small gold earrings and necklace) because it's not often appropriate in my social circles.
Part of the pleasure of wearing jewelry is the joy of handling a sparkly, beautiful object. If that was all there was to it, Jeff, you would be draped in embroidery, lace and gems like King Louis XIV. It's too bad that you live in Puritan- and hippie-influenced 21st century America and not 17th century France. LOL!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/carnevale-di-venezia...https://www.pinterest.com/pin/483292603755387760/But that's not all there is to it, of course. Like all personal styling, jewelry makes a social statement. Wearing fancy jewelry in a middle-class, low-key setting would be inappropriate in many locations and social situations... if one is trying to blend in rather than make an ostentatious statement.
Wendy
No. of Recommendations: 1
That's a long and detailed post. What motivated the research and detailing? Are you thinking of investing in jewels, or simply looking at where you can where those you already own safely?
What amazes me is the premium people mentally place on "natural" gems which are technically inferior (in color, inclusions, etc.) to lab-grown chemically identical gems which allows them to justify paying one or two orders of magnitude more.
The syn jewels are fabulous, if you can get them without the cheaper look-a-like gold to hold them. I have a few in my jewelry box, but frankly with today's casual society, that's where they basically stay. Then again, I've never been the typical female, preferring to spend my discretionary dollars on real estate, or the hardware store to fix up that real estate, than baubles. Pretty early on in our marriage I told DH not to buy me more jewelry as between the kids and rehabbing homes, I found it hard to even wear my rings.
IP,
whose love language is time spent, not things bought
No. of Recommendations: 4
Human nature is a funny thing. All societies, whether in the Arctic, the desert or the savanna sing. They all dance. They all practice ancestor worship in some fashion. They all exhibit the "religious spot" (it's generally a religion, but could be supplemented or replaced by any "ism", whether it be communism, nationalism, or whatever). They all believe in spirits, most believe there are "little people" who stay hidden, but are mischievous. They follow both tribal/family forces at the same time as forces drawing them together - frequently in competition. And so on - it defines us as a species.
The post was more a commentary on the low moral compass found in the "first world" (as well as other places) and the apparent fact that it is not hard-wired into all of mankind to be thieves as there were significant exceptions. It's not what makes us human, despite it being common where we live.
My hobbies tend to merge. We have "always" (more than 5 decades) traveled abroad for entertainment. On occasion we will end up in a country where gem-stones are mined (and or cut) an pick up a bauble at a significant discount to what it would cost at home. US customs does not duty minerals (but put a beer can tab on it and call it a ring and you have to pay duty). These might sit in a safe deposit box for years until I get an inspiration and then they get turned into jewelry (by "occupational hazard" my other hobby has become jewelry designer - which lets my engineering background run amok). The problem is there are few safe places for my wife to actually wear what I've designed.
Jeff
