POLICE in York hope to find the owners of this treasure chest of gold jewellery which they believe may have been stolen.

The haul, which has an estimated value of thousands of pounds, has been recovered by North Yorkshire Police.

It includes up to 100 items, the majority of which are men's and women's rings and necklaces. But officers said there were also a small number of earrings and bracelets.

Police have taken the unusual step of organising a viewing at York Police Station, in Fulford Road, on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

They said the jewellery may have been stolen between August last year and May 4 and anyone who has lost property during this time should come and view the items.

PC Leah Wallhead, who is leading the investigation, said many of the objects were distinctive with engravings of dates and names that will be instantly recognisable to the owner.

She said: "We have up to 100 items of gold jewellery. "They have been separated up into separate packages, one of which contains 23 items.

"Some are valuable and some are not, but they may still have great sentimental value to the owners. There are thousands of pounds worth here.

"They are not necessarily stolen. We have seized the items and now we must find out if they are stolen or not and, if so, to try and return them to their owners."

Anyone attending the display at the weekend must bring proof of ownership if they want to claim any item. This could include receipts, photographs or a crime number.

If you recognise the description of any of these items of jewellery, contact PC Wallhead by phoning ing 0845 60 60 24 7.

Updated: 10:10 Wednesday, June 29, 2005