A recent burglary in Palo Alto is just the latest incidence of thieves grabbing designer eyewear.  Burglars stole $10,000 in sunglasses and eyeglass frames from Palo Alto Optometry.  "They knew exactly what they were looking for," said the store's office manager, Donna Ratinoff.  "They took the Ray-Bans. They extracted the Ray-Bans out of the shelves and left other brands that I guess they weren’t interested in."

Ratinoff says the burglaries seem to occur in waves, with thieves hitting several offices at a time. And since there’s no identification on the frames, they're easily turned around at flea markets and online sites such as eBay and craigslist. Some of them even turn up in the showcases of other optometry offices.