Jewel Robbers Netted More Than $1 Million : Crime: Inventory check reveals extent of loss in Tuesday’s heist. It is the fourth such holdup in Orange County in the last six weeks, police say.

An inventory of store merchandise revealed that more than $1 million in jewelry was taken in a recent armed robbery at Newport Center Fashion Island, the fourth such heist in Orange County in the last six weeks, police said Wednesday.

Police had initially estimated losses at $100,000 in the Tuesday robbery of Moboco Fine Jewelry & Gems. Three masked bandits, at least two of them armed with automatic weapons, entered Moboco at 6:25 p.m. and held eight employees and customers at gunpoint while they grabbed jewelry from display cases, said Sgt. Andy Gonis.

Police are investigating the likelihood that this incident is linked to a rash of similar Southern California jewel thefts in which armed robbers work at lightning speed, Gonis said.

“They were in and out of the business place inside of a minute,” Gonis said. “It was obviously a well-planned operation.”

In all, Orange County retailers have lost at least $1.45 million in merchandise since Feb. 1.

The rash of thefts has worried local jewelry store proprietors, who said they are taking precautionary measures that include being more alert to foot traffic, hiring extra security, and, in some cases, taking customers by appointment only.

“Jewelry store owners are scared as hell,” said Jay Chalson, president of Orange County Insurance Replacement & Appraisal Service and co-owner of the Diamond Exchange jewelry store in Tustin, which is moving to a safer spot and converting to appointments only.

“It’s not fun to go to work when you think you’re going to be robbed every day,” Chalson said. “This is scaring the jewelers to the degree that they don’t want to be in business. It’s just not fun any more.”

Last Thursday, armed men attempted to rob the Laykin et Cie jewelry counter in the I. Magnin department store at South Coast Plaza. A security guard was the target of one gunman, whose 9-millimeter automatic pistol failed to discharge. The thieves then ran off empty-handed.

On Feb. 7, three armed bandits burst into Best Products Co. store in Santa Ana and made off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry after kicking in the backs of three cabinets.

On Feb. 1, three men held up Black Starr & Frost jewelers in South Coast Plaza and escaped on foot with more than $450,000 in mostly diamond jewelry.

“This is the biggest rash (of robberies) I have ever heard of,” said Berit Byram, manager at Shaffer & Sons jewelers in South Coast Plaza. “For the most part, security at the mall is really being beefed up.”

South Coast Plaza officials did not return telephone calls regarding mall security operations, but Costa Mesa police, who operate a substation there, are watching the stores more carefully, according to Sgt. Gary McErlain.

The Police Department is also holding a March 20 crime prevention seminar for jewelry store operators to explain the latest in security technologies, McErlain said.

However, when the robbers are carrying weapons, even armed security guards are rendered helpless because of the threat of injury to employees and customers in or near a store, said Bob Young, director of West Coast operations for the Jewelers Security Alliance, an independent trade organization which covers 14 states.

“Armed robberies are very, very tough to prevent,” said Young, who explained that jewelers are advised to grant all robbers’ requests. “We don’t want to see someone get shot because of a stupid move by an employee or security guard. You can always replace the merchandise, but you can’t replace a life.”