The Vanishing £637k ($800,500) Ring at The Ritz

This exact thing happened to no other than one wealthy Malaysian Heriss during the last days of her Paris vacation. Was it an Ocean 11-style heist? Was it an alien abduction? No, the twist here is far more surprising than what you may think! So step into the luxurious world of The Ritz Paris, where luxury and intrigue intertwine in a dazzling tale of a mysteriously disappearing diamond ring. There is way more to this Malaysian Heriss than meets the eye.

But upon her return, the sparkle was replaced by sheer bewilderment—the ring had vanished! She quickly files a police complaint, pointing fingers at the very staff entrusted with the hotel’s renowned hospitality.

And of course, a luxurious ring such as this, which would catch anyone’s eye, will probably also make them succumb to their dark urges. 

From the not-so-secret affairs that happened between its fancy walls, to numerous crimes and controversial figures attached to its name, the Ritz is definitely not a place of virtue.

The hotel quickly became a hub for the world’s richest, most sophisticated individuals, with big names like F. Scott Fitzgerald, who, with a penchant for the bar, immortalized the hotel in one of his most famous novels.

With a few French resistance fighters, Hemingway embarked on a mission to reclaim his beloved hotel, a tale now etched in the annals of the Ritz’s rich history. On the other side of the pendulum, Coco Chanel, a permanent resident of the hotel, conducted her romantic liaison with a German officer, sparking rumors of her being a collaborator.

The modernization, rather than erasing history, only serves to add another chapter to the ongoing saga of the Ritz – a living testament to an era where tales of luxury, fame, and adventure continue to unfold against the timeless elegance of its opulent backdrop.

The allure of the Palace designation lies in its stringent criteria, demanding a confluence of exceptional elements, from architectural magnificence to a rich tapestry of history that is outside the ordinary. The Ritz Paris, steeped in legacy and lavished with timeless elegance, appears poised to check all these boxes

In a daring heist that unfolded at the iconic Ritz hotel in central Paris on a Wednesday evening, five masked men armed with axes and knives made off with an estimated €4.5 million worth of jewels. The audacious robbers stormed into the five-star establishment, located on rue Cambon near the famed Place Vendôme, around 6:30 pm.

Witnesses later told the press about how the terrified guests in the hotel’s Hemingway bar were instructed by staff to take cover on the floor for their safety.

However, the remaining two robbers escaped through a back door and ran away on a scooter, avoiding capture.

In actuality, this heist happened after the city of Paris had already increased its security significantly after the world-famous jewelry theft that happened to American mega-celebrity Kim Kardashian in 2016.

She was bound and gagged but actually managed to untie herself and scream for help, and came out physically unharmed.

The criminals were not prosecuted until later in 2021, and in an amusing twist, one of the men who were charged with the robbery actually went on to write a book on the incident, if you can believe it.

In a brazen heist that unfolded within the luxurious confines of the renowned Ritz Paris, a Saudi princess fell victim to a similar theft amounting to more than $900,000 in jewelry, as reported by French police. The royal family member had been residing in an opulent suite within the five-star establishment when the crime occurred.

This heist was bold and well-planned, making it feel like a Sherlock Holmes detective story. The public awaits anxiously trying to decide if the French authorities can track down the thieves and get back this priceless ring.

Delving into every nook and cranny, the hotel’s employees displayed a level of thoroughness that can be compared to that of detectives in a mystery novel. Imagine the diligence and the keen eye for detail, as they combed through the the halls, the rooms, the dining hall, and virtually every corner of the grand hotel.

The hotel, acknowledging any inconvenience caused, tried to sweeten the Heriess’s stay as much as they could, offering her an additional three nights of accommodation as a guest. Considering their not-so-great reputation regarding theft and expensive missing items, it was the least they could do. However the Heriss wasn’t so keen on spending more time at the hotel considering her precious jewels were “lost” under their watch.

There continued to be so much backlash and bookings plummeted. Just a week before a Dutch hotel worker stumbled upon a forgotten treasure worth £5 million tucked away in a drawer, setting the stage for even more suspicion surrounding the hotel. 

Not letting the smell of blood in the water pass unnoticed, the press started to quickly arrive at the hotel. With microphones and flashing lights everywhere, looking for even the slightest lead and out-of-place act going around inside the building, the Ritz was now in the middle of a full-on public outrage. 

But if they thought that their string of bad luck had reached its peak, they were sorely mistaken. The same guest whose ring had disappeared decided to toss out every trace of decency and came out to the hoards of journalists gathering outside the hotel.

“I have been robbed” she cried out, setting the stage for a tearjerking speech, and a young reporter gathered up some courage and stepped right up to her with his microphone. To everyone’s surprise, she didn’t push him away, on the contrary, she leaned in.

She didn’t have the longest record at the Ritz, but what she did have was a keen eye for detail. The whole thing seemed to be very strange- their high-profile guests were usually inclined to bend over backward to keep their private life, well, private. She recalled the Saudi princess who had been robbed at the hotel, and how until today no one really knows who she was. So why would this woman make things so public?

She had decided to start with a simple Google search, which was made easy with her unlimited access to all guest details. Was it entirely ethical? perhaps not but she was determined to solve this mystery. Other than her lavish social media accounts and other basic facts, the receptionist found something that lit a speck of curiosity in her. A small hiccup all of a sudden turned into a full-fledged warning sign. 

Now the receptionist had a lead, and she wasn’t going to stop there. A quick look outside and she realized that the same young reporter currently interviewing the guest, was the same person who wrote the article she was now reading.  Things were starting to come together.

Ignoring the calls from her friends to help maintain the situation, she started going over security footage from the guests’ check-in date. It took her a few short minutes to find out that on the day before the rings vanished, this guest was sitting at the Bar Hemingway alongside no other than the young journalist, sipping drinks and looking very pleased with themselves, when at some point, the guest discretely handed something over to the reporter.

Another quick glance at the security footage showed that the man who came by to clean her room, carrying a vacuum clear and a cleaning cart, looked a lot like the young reporter. The two were in complete shock. The manager hoped to get their hotel the rank of a Palace, and his efforts to make his guest feel like a princess might have brought the scandal to their door.

The Ritz, embarrassingly, failed to get this coveted title. With all of these factors in mind, the entire hotel was buzzing with activity, with employees almost tearing the place apart, trying desperately to find the guest’s missing treasure.

This opulent retreat features 20-foot ceilings and a meticulously designed bedroom that was designed to imitate the grandeur of none other than Marie Antoinette’s quarters at Versailles. Try to imagine looking through rooms so big and so fancy, while trying not to ruin anything. Yikes.

In case you forgot, the guest informed the police that she had placed the ring on a table in her hotel room, but now the situation might have taken a turn she did not expect. 

It was quickly discovered that the businesswoman indeed worked with the young journalist to besmirch the Ritz in order to raise publicity for her own hotel and sell a good story to the young journalist. The reporter, in turn, admitted that he very gently dropped the ring to the floor and vacuumed it. He hoped that the story would grant him the promotion he was desperate to have. 

It’s unknown what became of the businesswoman’s project, or what happened to the young journalist, but we can bet that neither party will ever be welcomed back to the hotel nor any high society circles. The Ritz still proudly looks over Paris, and we can all hope that it will continue to offer impeccable hospitality to its guests without unfavorable surprises.