Mother is left ‘fuming’ after Royal Mail ‘loses’ her £15,000 diamond bracelets once they have been returned to sender over ‘addressing error’

A mother-of-two has been left ‘fuming’ after Royal Mail ‘lost’ her £15,000 diamond bracelets given to her by her husband and mother.

Nikoo Tayebi, 47, proudly owned a £6,500 bangle which was gifted to her by her hotelier husband, Andrew, 50, who saved for five years to afford it.

She was also given a second diamond bracelet costing £8,500, which had been passed down to her from her mother, Nooshin, 77.

After the clasp on the bracelet from her husband broke, Ms Tayeb visited her local post office in Hampstead, London, on December 1, 2025, to send it off to be repaired.

Ms Tayeb sent it via Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm to a jeweller in Hatton Garden, along with her second diamond to show how the clasp should look once fixed. 

But the parcel never arrived at its destination and was instead redirected to Royal Mail’s National Return Centre (NRC) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the following day.

Realising she had not paid for insurance, Ms Tayeb said she began tracking the parcel ‘like a hawk’ but claims that once it reached the NRC in mid-December, tracking updates ‘ceased’.

During this time, Ms Tayeb says she contacted Royal Mail on ‘multiple occasions’ seeking updates and claims she was repeatedly reassured the parcel would be returned to her home address. 

Her concerns escalated on January 6, when she received a notification stating the parcel had been ‘returned to sender’ despite it never being delivered. 

Ms Tayeb is now going ‘back and forth’ with Royal Mail to establish where her missing jewellery is and believes the bracelets have been ‘stolen at the NRC’.

The case has since been escalated to the Postal Review Panel (PRP) and is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police

Ms Tayeb, from Hampstead, London said: ‘I’ve not slept well since I sent those bracelets off.

‘It’s not even just the money, they both meant so much to me and are basically irreplaceable.

‘My husband specifically designed the bangle and saved up for years to surprise me after I’ve been battling a few health problems.

‘And the other bracelet was essentially a family heirloom that has seen us through generations.

‘The entire ordeal has completely consumed me.

‘I trusted Royal Mail with my most prized possessions and they are yet to take responsibility.

‘I’ve been left out to dry multiple times and they way they have handled the situation has been a complete joke.’

Ms Tayeb posted the items at her local Post Office on December 1 and said she immediately encountered issues with the counter clerk.

‘I remember we were having a bit of back and forth with the delivery and return addresses,’ Ms Tayeb said.

‘And I don’t think they noted it down correctly.’

She added: ‘The clerk also repackaged my parcel in a grey plastic bag, hiding the addresses but I thought it was normal.

‘I was explicit about the sentimental and precious value of my parcel.

‘But I was never offered or advised about insurance options.’

Regardless, Ms Tayeb sent her parcel via Special Delivery for 1pm next day to a jeweller in London, just over an hour’s drive away from her home.

But alarm bells rang when she called the jeweller the following day who confirmed ‘the parcel never arrived’.

Instead of the parcel being returned to Ms Tayeb, she claims it was redirected to the National Return Centre, in Belfast on December 3.

‘Luckily, I was able to track the parcel from there,’ Ms Tayeb said.

‘It took a few weeks and eventually arrived at the NRC in the middle of December.

‘I phoned Royal Mail and asked if I can come and collect in person. I was so done with the entire ordeal at this point.

‘But they reassured me that once it was scanned into the centre, they would send it straight back to me and there was no need for me to come.’

According to Royal Mail, if there’s no return address on a parcel, it will get sent to National Returns Centre (NRC).

They will then open the item to try and find the sender’s address to return the parcel and it was at this point, Ms Tayeb claimed her tracking had ‘stopped’.

Despite ‘many further attempts’ to contact Royal Mail, Ms Tayeb still didn’t have an answer as to where her bracelets were.

Until she received a tracking update on her phone on January 6, claiming that her parcel had been ‘returned to sender’, without it being delivered.

‘It was a huge red flag and it just seemed so coincidental,’ she said.

‘If there was some at the centre who opened my parcel and saw two diamond bracelets, it’s an easy steal.

‘When I told Royal Mail that it had not been delivered, they said it may take up to two weeks.

‘But two weeks later, I still hadn’t received my parcel and I was becoming hysterical.

‘I’m adamant that someone has stolen it.’

Ms Tayeb has since contacted the Postal Review Panel and Metropolitan Police who are conducting an investigation.

A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘We received a report of mail theft on Monday, January, 26, with the victim stating that a parcel containing two high-value bracelets had gone missing in the postal system. 

‘We are in touch with the victim and our enquiries continue.’

Ms Tayeb added: ‘I just want this to be over.

‘Those bracelets meant to much to me and I was excited to have passed one down to my daughter.

‘I’m shocked at the way my complain has been handled.

‘And now I may have to kiss £15,000 worth of jewellery goodbye.’

A Post Office spokesperson said: ‘We are very sorry to hear of the experience Ms Tayebi has had with regards to her parcel.

‘Once the parcel has left the Post Office, it’s with Royal Mail.

‘We understand that Royal Mail are treating this extremely seriously and that they are investigating the matter.’

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: ‘We understand how upsetting this situation has been for the customer.

‘Our investigation found there was an addressing error at the point of posting, and the parcel was sent to our National Return Centre where it was later recovered.

‘An attempt was then made to return the item to the customer, but after leaving the centre on January 6 it has not been located.

‘We are treating this very seriously and, in line with our procedures, the case has been escalated to the Postal Review Panel, which is working directly with the customer to reach a resolution.

‘Customers are always advised to select a compensation level appropriate to the value of the item they are sending.’