Harold the Jewellery Buyer was pistol-whipped by a repeat customer

Harold Gerstel, better known as Harold the Jewellery Buyer, has had a stressful few years, what with the cash-for-gold turf wars, the suspected fire bombing of his former location and that whole debacle with an alleged hitman. Now, he has 10 stitches and a black eye, apparently after being pistol-whipped by a customer at his Bathurst and Lawrence store on Friday afternoon. In the middle of negotiations, the man pulled out a gun, beat Gerstel in the face with it, and then ran out with some diamond rings he had previously brought in to sell. Not exactly a perfect crime since the man had been in before and Gerstel had not only his attacker’s address, but also a photo on file, helping police to make an arrest the next day. Our advice to the would-be thief: don’t rob someone who has all your particulars. Our advice to Harold the Jewellery Buyer: take a week off from jewellery buying to relax after all the drama (a cruise, maybe?) [CBC]