Legendary Jewerly Thief Doris Payne Strikes Again!

The 84-year-old jewelry thief extraordinaire, Doris Payne fooled us again with her latest steal, a $33,000 engagement ring at David Yurman in Charlotte, North Carolina. Payne has spanned a seasoned, sixty three year career stealing from famous jewelry houses and can count Switzerland, Greece and even Japan as some of her prime hotspots.

Born in 1930 in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Payne grew up poor and struggled as a working class mother. Payne’s first score was when she was a child swiping a watch from her local jeweler. Payne quickly worked her way stealing from upscale department stores, major jewelers like Tiffany & Co. and even stole a 10 1/2 ct diamond in Monte Carlo. Totally fascinated? Well, the legendary jewelry thief dubbed ‘Diamond Doris’ was even the subject of a documentary, The Life and Times of Doris Payne.  

This most recent report comes shortly after her October jail release from last year after stealing a $22,500 diamond encrusted ring at El Paseo Jewelers in Palm Desert, California.