IN terms of heists, this surely ranks as one of the more audacious attempts to make away with the goods - and possibly one of the tiniest.

Just a couple of weeks ago, crown jewels belonging to the Swedish royal family were nabbed by thieves who escaped on a boat.

Locally a sewage truck was reportedly used to smash through a fence and steal gold in regional WA.

But this unsuccessful “ItaliAnt Job”, as it has been dubbed, surely takes the cake, with the would-be thief well and truly battling out of its weight division.

In a clip published on YouTube, an ant was filmed making off with a diamond, owned by a wholesaler.

But for the better part of a minute the ant, which can carry many times its own body weight, works unsuccessfully to steal the pricey stone.

People online, where the clip has been viewed more than 19,000 times, found the heist incredible ant-ertaining.

“Imagine explaining to your boss that an ant stole a diamond,” YouTuber william cash posted.

Jive Turkey noticed how brazen the ant was, writing: “I like how he keeps checking behind himself like he knows he’s being watched.”

Cyber Silver queried: “What if it was the diamond stealing the ant?”