The finding of a 12th ring on the floor of the store led to the discovery that the tray was missing, Detective Ball said.
Ball said the rings apparently disappeared some time Friday night. Police were not called in until last night because the store manager, George Fitzgerald of Maplewood, was ill and his substitute was not familiar with the stock in the East Orange store, Ball said.
FitzGerald left the store shortly after 10 A.M. Friday and went home sick, Ball said. Hilmar Hanson of Caldwell Township, an employee in the Wiss store in Newark, was sent to East Orange to replace him, Ball said.
Later Friday Hanson found a wedding band on the floor near the jewelry counter. He was unable to find the tray it came from and placed it in an envelope for a store employee, Charles Manz of Irvington, who had the day off.
When Manz came to work yesterday, he was given the ring and found the tray it came from was missing, Ball said. He telephoned FitzGerald, who went to the store. When the two men were unable to find any trace of the tray or the other rings, they called police.
Ball said FitzGerald told him the tray with the 12 rings had last been seen in a counter.