San Francisco jeweler loses hundreds of thousands in devastating burglary
It's far from a typical smash-and-grab robbery at a Bay Area jewelry store.
A San Francisco jeweler lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of her handmade pieces, along with family heirlooms that have been passed down for generations. A burglar came into Modern Relics in the Richmond District this month and destroyed her life's work.
Alix Blüh recounts what happened on August 13th when a burglar gutted her store. They destroyed her vintage display cases, swiped the most valuable pieces of jewelry, and took expensive raw materials such as gold and gemstones.
"I'm holding my soul inside my body, and I open up and see this level of destruction to my sacred beautiful shrine of a treasure chest," Blüh said. "I think at first it was the wind knocked out of me. Then it was wailing and gasping."
Along with the theft, came the destruction.
"There's a level of vandalism that doesn't fit a smash and grab," she said.
Blüh found a shattered wine bottle and cleaning supplies scattered all around her store.
The biggest mystery for Blüh is how did the thieves know that she kept valuables in her quaint Richmond District neighborhood store. Customers have to make appointments to come in.
"I've been here for 20 years and not once advertised that I was jewelry," she said. "Not once in my windows. It was a mystery what I was doing here."
Blüh, though, says hitting jewelry stores has gotten more profitable for thieves. When she started 30 years ago, gold was about $250 per ounce. Now she says it can cost over $5,000. She recently visited a pawn shop with an investigator and saw firsthand how easy it is for thieves to make a quick buck.
"Now I know there is a crime ring being supported by chop shops all over the city. Illegal chop shops," she said. "This woman in the back was cleaning jewelry and melting it. Cleaning gold and there was a Ziploc bag on the floor and I just knew it's all gold stolen jewelry."
The sign outside her door says her store will not be open until at least 2027. She says when it does, it will become an art studio for the community. This has been a difficult time for Blüh, but she's been comforted by the tremendous support she's received from people all over the world.
"I'm heart-wrenching beyond belief but the outpouring of love and support from the community has absolutely buoyed me with such a profound sense of love and gratitude," she said.