Re: A Contrarian View...

Huh, I thought it was just me. I am a jeweler, and I make a living selling essentially useless rocks stuck in precious metal. There are issues, one is getting robbed. (Big one, that one.)
Another is losing stuff, gems seem to have a life of there own, and when you try to stick them in settings, they flip, usually onto the floor (which is ALWAYS carpeted) and you get to do the jeweler's prayer, consisting of crawling around thr floor with your rear up in the air in front of the customer (inevitabe). Rugs are great because eventually you figure out a way of sending whatever is in it to the refiner.
Then there is where to you leave your stuff? In a safe? Ha! Most people I know take it home with them. (Into the vehicle, out of the vehicle, into the house, lock the house.) Then what if you, gasp, want to take a vacation, take it with you? (Into the vehicle, think about a drive though for meals, get to the motel, into the motel, safe? Nah, then they will know you've got something.) Or you maybe have to go to something like your mothers funeral, for example, (Into the vehicle, lock the vehicle, go to the funeral home, try to park the vehicle where you can SEE it, I think you are begining to get the point I'm trying to make here.)
There is a gang of thieves who specialize in stealing fine jewelry from sales reps who carry merchandise to jewelry shops in Georgia, Tn. and parts of Ky, theives all from latin america. They follow the guy until he gets lunch, then whammo, stuff gone, he's usually left dead.
One jeweler I know was dumb enough that he left 1,000,000 of gold in his pick up truck overnight, gone now. People really do like stealing something that is small and portable, and that can be turned into instant cash one way or another.
Another shop was using a jewelry industry approved theft deterant system, which consisted of locking the shop up, setting up a poison gas which goes off if the theif enters, the shop is sealed after the break in. Unfortunately, jewelers are notoriously flaky, the owner set the trap, and the jeweler who was working for him came back to get something he forgot, Opps! dead jeweler. (I'm so sorry Mam, your diamond isn't ready, we accidentally poisoned our jeweler, he'd had one too many and he set off the theif trap.)
So the first thing you look at when you go look at a shop to rent is how far away do you have to park your car?
I'm not even going into possible hiding spots, and people who couldn't find stuff where they thought they had left it. It just goes on, and on, and on.
And stuff does get stolen, unless you have a fool proof system, like debeers, which has an amazing security system, precious metals and gems are remarkably hard to hang onto. Like they say, who is watching the watchers?
And DO not rely on family members, I can go on about crooked cousins, kids, spouses, for quite some time.
I sell mostly silver, it's not as much of a target for thieves as gold. I know one old Italian jeweler who has been at it all his life, who has a row of cameras outside of his shop, and you push the bell, and if he likes the way you look, he lets you in. Otherwise, forget it. I had to laugh when I got into his shop, everything he had for sale required a ladder to get up to get it.
Why would anyone sign up for a life of complete paranoia unless there is no other option? My best advice if you are buying coins or bullion, or whatever you are getting, is don't tell anyone. I mean ANYONE!
Security is an issue.
Julie