Diamond Doris : the true story of the world's most notorious jewel thief

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Title:

Diamond Doris : the true story of the world's most notorious jewel thief

Author:

Payne, Doris, 1930- author.

ISBN:

9780062917997

9780062918000

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

xi, 262 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Contents:

Part I : Color -- I wasn't born a jewel thief -- Greed -- My declaration of war -- Mr. Benjamin -- Part II : Clarity -- Trickster in practice -- Finding my way out -- My first big heist -- Hot ice, cold feet -- Making good on my crimes -- Taking things to the next level -- Racial backfire -- It's who you know, but you don't own me -- Family ties and known associates -- Part III : Cut -- Going international -- Diamond fever -- Returning to baby Jesus -- Fault line -- Off my game -- Throwing dust at disaster -- Part IV : Carat -- Snared -- Telling people what they want to hear -- Tokyo diamonds and the mohair coat -- The long game -- Dry snitches -- Reckoning.

Personal Subject:

Payne, Doris.

Subject Term:

Jewel thieves -- United States -- Biography.

Jewel thieves -- United States -- 20th century.

Genre:

Autobiographies

True crime stories

Added Author:

Lockhart, Zelda,

Summary:

In the ebullient spirit of Oceans 8, The Heist , and Thelma & Louise , a sensational and entertaining memoir of the worlds most notorious jewel thief, a woman who defied society's prejudices and norms to carve her own path, stealing from elite jewelers to live her dreams. Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Doris Payne was told her dreams were unattainable for poor black girls like her. Surrounded by people who sought to limit her potential, Doris vowed to turn the tables after the owner of a jewelry store threw her out when a white customer arrived. Neither racism nor poverty would hold her back; she would get what she wanted and help her mother escape an abusive relationship. Using her southern charm, quick wit, and fascination with magic as her tools, Payne began shoplifting small pieces of jewelry from local stores. Over the course of six decades, her talents grew with each heist. Becoming an expert world-class jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies and her Jewish boyfriend fenced the stolen gems to Hollywood celebrities. Doris's criminal exploits went unsolved well into the 1970s, partly because the stores did not want to admit that they were duped by a black woman. Eventually realizing Doris was using him, her boyfriend turned her in. She was arrested after stealing a diamond ring in Monte Carlo that was valued at more than half a million dollars. But even prison couldn't contain this larger-than-life personality who cleverly used nuns as well as various ruses to help her break out. With her arrest in 2013 in San Diego, Doris's fame skyrocketed when media coverage of her astonishing escapades exploded. Today, at eighty-seven, Doris, as bold and vibrant as ever, lives in Atlanta, and is celebrated for her glamorous legacy. She sums up her adventurous career best: "It beat being a teacher or a maid."

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Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Oakdale Library	921 PAYNE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	921 PAYNE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	921 PAYNE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Soon to be a Major Motion Picture

In the ebullient spirit of Ocean's 8, The Heist, and Thelma & Louise, a sensational and entertaining memoir of the world's most notorious jewel thief--a woman who defied society's prejudices and norms to carve her own path, stealing from elite jewelers to live her dreams.

Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Doris Payne was told her dreams were unattainable for poor black girls like her. Surrounded by people who sought to limit her potential, Doris vowed to turn the tables after the owner of a jewelry store threw her out when a white customer arrived. Neither racism nor poverty would hold her back; she would get what she wanted and help her mother escape an abusive relationship.

Using her southern charm, quick wit, and fascination with magic as her tools, Payne began shoplifting small pieces of jewelry from local stores. Over the course of six decades, her talents grew with each heist. Becoming an expert world-class jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies and her boyfriend fenced the stolen gems to Hollywood celebrities.

Doris's criminal exploits went unsolved well into the 1970s--partly because the stores did not want to admit that they were duped by a black woman. Eventually realizing Doris was using him, her boyfriend turned her in. She was arrested after stealing a diamond ring in Monte Carlo that was valued at more than half a million dollars. But even prison couldn't contain this larger-than-life personality who cleverly used nuns as well as various ruses to help her break out. With her arrest in 2013 in San Diego, Doris's fame skyrocketed when media coverage of her astonishing escapades exploded.

Today, at eighty-seven, Doris, as bold and vibrant as ever, lives in Atlanta, and is celebrated for her glamorous legacy. She sums up her adventurous career best: "It beat being a teacher or a maid." A rip-roaringly fun and exciting story as captivating and audacious as Catch Me if You Can and Can You Ever Forgive Me?--Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating anti-hero who refused to be defined by the prejudices and mores of a hypocritical society.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

An ex-jewel thief's account of her more than 50-year career stealing fabulously expensive gems from some of the world's most exclusive stores.Born to an African American coal miner father and his Native American wife in the West Virginia community of Slab Fork, Payne grew up with a keen awareness of social injustice. She knew from childhood that "greedy coal mining companies made a ton of money" on poor families by skimping on housing and mine safety. Though her family lived decently, she and her mother sometimes became victims of her father's violence. Determined to stay independent of men and help her mother get away from her father, Payne employed a talent for theft that she accidentally discovered while trying on watches at a jewelry store. She began her criminal career in her early teens stealing food from the market and money from school for her family. As her confidence grew, so did her desire to live in the luxury denied people of color. By her late teens, Payne used her beauty and charm to entice store jewelry store clerks into showing her the expensive jewelry she took with ease. Later, she became involved with a married Jewish businessman who introduced her to the black market underworld and helped her score major thefts all over the country. After his death, Payne set her sights on international heists at stores like Cartier and Bulgari. She served one light jail sentence late in her career for a minor theft, yet neither the FBI nor international police were ever able to definitively prove her guilt. Payne's personal charm is clearly evident on every page, but what makes her book especially provocative is her righteous anger at a (largely white) diamond trade built on the backs of poor Africans and her belief that she was "notorious on purpose."Engaging reading about an elegant modern-day Robin Hood. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

This astonishing memoir by a daring and prolific African American jewel thief reads like a thrilling caper novel, even as it reveals hard truths. Growing up in West Virginia as a coal miner's daughter during the Depression, Payne first resorted to stealing to provide for her family. Theft was also a way to redress racial prejudice after a white storekeeper shamefully disgraced her. In her heists, as Payne (with coauthor Lockhart) explains, she presented herself as a well-to-do, fashionable woman interested in purchasing jewelry, especially diamonds. For six decades, Payne succeeded in sauntering into high-end stores, distracting store clerks with her movie-star looks, and walking away with tens of thousands of dollars' worth of jewels. Her most infamous and lucrative haul was a 10.5 carat diamond ring worth $550,000 at the time, $2.5-million today. Payne's audacious life is fascinating; it has been the subject of a documentary and has inspired a pending feature film. At the core of this incredible tale, a sassy catch-me-if-you-can told from a Black female's perspective, is a defiant and relentless woman who will do anything to go against what is dictated by her skin color and socioeconomic status.--Andrienne Cruz Copyright 2010 Booklist

Prologue: Mined
April 1956	p. 3
Part I Color
1 I Wasn't Born a Jewel Thief	p. 11
2 Greed	p. 17
3 My Declaration of War	p. 25
4 Mr. Benjamin	p. 33
Part II Clarity
5 Trickster in Practice	p. 43
6 Finding My Way Out	p. 48
7 My First Big Heist	p. 61
8 Hot Ice, Cold Feet	p. 68
9 Making Good on My Crimes	p. 77
10 Taking Things to the Next Level	p. 88
11 Racial Backfire	p. 104
12 It's Who You Know, but You Don't Own Me	p. 115
13 Family Ties and Known Associates	p. 125
Part III Cut
14 Going International	p. 137
15 Diamond Fever	p. 156
16 Returning to Baby Jesus	p. 174
17 Fault Line	p. 181
18 Off My Game	p. 186
19 Throwing Dust at Disaster	p. 199
Part IV Carat
20 Snared	p. 209
21 Telling People What They Want to Hear	p. 223
22 Tokyo Diamonds and the Mohair Coat	p. 229
23 The Long Game	p. 235
24 Dry Snitches	p. 249
25 Reckoning	p. 254
Epilogue: DVVS
December 2018	p. 265
Acknowledgments	p. 267

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Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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