Boycott Kay Jewelers: Women Claim Store Stole Their Diamonds, Company Stocks Plummet
Several women are organizing a boycott of Kay Jewelers after they made a shocking discovery after receiving their rings back from the company: their precious stones were no longer diamonds.
Those calling for a boycott of Kay Jewelers believe that someone replaced their engagement rings’ diamonds with cheap imitations. Chrissy Clarius told Buzzfeed that she first noticed something was wrong with her $4,300 piece of jewelry after getting it back from a standard repair. Confused, she noticed that the solitaire diamond previously laid in her 14-karat white gold band seemed to have, literally, lost its sparkle.
Clarius insisted that Kay Jewelers had not returned the correct ring to her, but employees said that it matched every detail of her original stone — except the number inscribed on it by Gemological Science International. That marking, they told her, was never on the diamond at all.
“The manager told me the repair shop said the number was simply never put [on] it, but the ring does match every detail on my card … minus the number.”
Still, Clarius wasn’t satisfied with Kay’s explanation. Convinced that it wasn’t her ring, she went to have it tested at another jeweler. The results were shocking: it was moissanite — a diamond-like stone worth a fraction of the real deal.
“It was moissanite and not a diamond, and set [in] platinum, not white gold. I felt sick to my stomach… I feel heartbroken and disgusted. I feel like it is my word against a big jewelry store and I’m being made to look like a liar. The fact that the manager had the audacity to imply I took my ring elsewhere is very discouraging.”
Buzzfeed confirmed that at least seven other women had also received back rings from Kay’s that did not match the original stone submitted to the jeweler. Clarius says she’s been contacted by hundreds of others since coming out with her story.
Kay itself has promised that it is looking into the issue, but it has not yet released any of its findings. On Thursday, shares of Signet Jewelers (SIG) — who own Kay and several other mall-based jewelers — fell by 11 percent, though this may also have been related to disappointing revenues in the last quarter. On Thursday, the company released a statement to combat the bad press, reported WREG.
“[Kay Jewelers] has rigorous processes in place to help ensure this won’t happen. When a guest brings their jewelry in for repair or service, it is diamond tested before it is sent out and when it is returned… With that being said, we are actively reviewing this issue, as we do all customer concerns brought to our attention, as part of our commitment to customer care and continuous improvement.”
On a Facebook group dedicated to the sharing of poor customer service stories from women dealing with Kay Jewelers, others simply complained of poor quality all around.
“I, too, have had MULTIPLE issues with my ring. Starting years ago, shortly after my wedding, some of the small diamonds fell out of my ring. Took it to Gordon’s to be replaced. My ring was so mishandled they had to replace the entire thing. The new ring has had diamonds fall out at least once a year since that time. It is warrantied, so they’ve replaced them each time.”
Have you had a similar experience? Will you be boycotting Kay Jewelers?
[Image via Carl Court/Getty Images]