LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – A Lafayette jewelry store is cleaning up after an early-morning smash-and-grab burglary that unfolded in less than a minute, according to local reports.
The break-in happened Friday morning at Ware Designs Jewelry on Mount Diablo Boulevard, a longtime Lafayette shop located at 3645 A Mt. Diablo Blvd
According to surveillance video described by NBC Bay Area, two people broke into the store before dawn, with one person smashing a front window, crawling inside, and then opening the door for a second person. Once inside, the pair reportedly smashed display cases and took jewelry before leaving in under a minute.
Patch reported that owner Stephen Ware received camera alarm notifications shortly after 1:52 a.m. and found the window and cases damaged when he arrived.
The store was fortunate in one respect: the most valuable items were apparently not sitting out in the cases. The pieces taken were less expensive items, while the store’s most valuable jewelry and customer pieces are locked up at night.
No injuries were reported.
Ware Designs is not a new arrival to Lafayette. The store is a longstanding local jeweler connected to Stephen Ware, and the Lafayette Chamber lists it as a retail jewelry business on Mount Diablo Boulevard. A recent Chamber post described Ware Designs as founded in 1977 by master goldsmith Stephen Ware and now managed by Melissa Watson.
The burglary adds another unsettling moment for a stretch of Mount Diablo Boulevard that is usually better known for downtown shopping, errands, and local businesses than for overnight smash-ins. Police have not publicly announced arrests or released suspect descriptions based on the sources available Monday.
Anyone with information should contact Lafayette police or the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.
