Have you ever wondered whether there’s something very valuable sitting around your house, and you don’t even know it? A woman in England bought what she thought was a costume jewelry ring 30 years ago, and wore it all the time. It turned out to be a 26-carat diamond, which is expected to sell for up to $454,000 at auction this summer. [More]
diamonds
Teen Finds 7-Carat Diamond In Arkansas Park
By 3.17.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If you’ve scoffed in the past at stories of visitors to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park who have walked away with valuable gems, maybe this will blow your jaded mind: A 14-year-old found a 7-carat diamond there last weekend just half an hour after he arrived. And as big as this diamond is, the park says the stone isn’t even in the top five of the largest diamonds found there. [More]
Father-Daughter Duo Finds 2-Carat Diamond At Arkansas Gem Park
By 10.12.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
Nature’s bounty is always a rewarding experience when you’re visiting one of the nation’s many parks, but one tourist destination can be particularly lucrative for visitors: an Arkansas gem park that lets people keep whatever valuable stones they find. In the recent case of a father-daughter duo, that turned out to be a 2.03-carat diamond. [More]
How Can De Beers Market Diamonds When Beautiful Lab-Made Stones Exist?
By 8.17.16
De Beers, the company that had a near-monopoly on jewelry-quality diamonds for much of the 20th century, has a problem. Synthetic diamonds (or “lab-created,” as their marketers would prefer that you call them) have made amazing progress in the last few years, and now can be grown faster, better, and colorless. You need special equipment to tell the difference between a diamond made in a lab and a diamond made deep underground. Why should consumers pay more for a difference they can’t see? [More]
Kay Jewelers Ramps Up Promotions After Gem-Swapping Accusations
By 6.15.16
You may have heard about the recent accusations of gem-swapping at Kay Jewelers. Customers accused the chain of switching out the diamonds in their jewelry for lower-grade diamonds or human-made stones that aren’t diamonds. The news stories launched more accusations on social media, and far too many “Every [blank] begins with Kay” jokes. Now the CEO of Kay’s parent company is speaking out, and holding promotions to get sales up. [More]
9 Things We Learned About Lab-Grown Diamonds
By 6.14.16
Sellers of synthetic diamonds don’t like when you use that word, but that is what they are: the stones are 100% real diamonds, but are created from carbon, heat, and pressure in a lab instead of deep underground. Now labs all over the world are growing their own diamonds, which could be excellent for lovers of shiny objects, and a potential disaster for the diamond industry. [More]
More Customers Say Kay Jewelers Swapped Out Their Diamonds For Fake Or Worse Ones
By 5.25.16
At Kay Jewelers, a popular mall chain and part of global mediocre jewelry corporate Voltron Signet Jewelers, owners of expensive diamond or gemstone jewelry can get a lifetime diamond or color gemstone guarantee, as long as they bring their jewelry for inspection every six months. Yet some brides who have tried to invoke the guarantee say that their stones were switched out during repairs, when they were in Kay’s possession. [More]
Federal Judge Finds In Favor Of Tiffany In Costco Imitation Ring Case
By 9.8.15
After more than two and a half years of litigation, the dispute between Costco and Tiffany over what, exactly, “Tiffany” means in the context of diamond engagement rings is over. A federal judge found in favor of Tiffany, noting that Costco clearly had not acted in good faith when slapping the word “Tiffany” on their jewelry cases. [More]
Non-Diamond Engagement Rings Becoming More Popular
By 11.6.14
Diamond solitaires as engagement rings are what seems like an ancient tradition, but they’re more of a 20th-century invention. While consumers are largely sticking with the whole “ring” idea, jewelry stores have noticed that people are exploring ideas other than diamond solitaires. [More]
Teen Sells 3.85-Carat Yellow Diamond She Found At Gem Park For $20,000
By 4.11.14
First of all, before we get into money talk, color me flabbergasted by the fact that there’s a park where apparently you can find free gems, take them home at your leisure and then sell them. Crater of Diamonds State Park exists, and it’s made one 14-year-old girl way richer than most kids her age. [More]
Cue Cutesy Commercials: Owner of Jared, Kay Jewelers Buys Owner of Zales In $1.4B Deal
By 2.19.14
You can never have enough diamonds. If you’re Signet Jewelers that’s an accurate statement. The parent company of Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry is adding to its inventory by purchasing Zale Corporation, the parent company of jewelry store Zales. [More]
Did You Buy $18K Diamond Earrings For $20 At A Yard Sale? This Lady Needs Them Back
By 6.27.13
“Didn’t you already post this story, Consumerist?” you’re probably asking. Nope, we didn’t. We previously shared the story of a California man who accidentally sold his wife’s diamond ring at a community yard sale for $10. This is the story of a California woman who accidentally sold her own diamond earrings in the pocket of a jean jacket for $20. [More]
Woman Wins $5,000 Diamond Prize, Finds Out After Accidentally Swallowing It
By 4.30.13
A fundraiser event in Tampa was sort of a boozy raffle. Guests could pay $20 for a flute of champagne with a clear gemstone at the bottom. Everyone got to drink champagne, and one lucky guest won a diamond worth $5,000. The 80-year-old winner didn’t have to worry about finding a safe place to store the stone on her way home, because she had accidentally swallowed it. [More]
Why Do We Do The Whole Diamond Engagement Ring Thing, Anyway?
By 3.27.13
It’s sparkly, it’s clear or it’s colored, it’s cut in more ways than one person could dream up, it sits on your finger like a golf ball or a just-the-right-size bauble, it’s a girl’s best friend — twinkling alongside many a wedding proposal has been a diamond. And a lot of the time, these chunks of bling cost a pretty penny. So why do we do have this shiny ritual? (And someone please explain how a diamond can be a best friend? It can’t even talk.) [More]
Costco Selling $1 Million Diamond Ring
By 4.7.11
If you’re a rich baron of industry out to impress your beloved with a pricey piece of jewelry, forget Tiffany’s. Go to Costco. They’re selling a big ‘ol 6.77 ct diamond solitaire ring for $1,000,000. And true to form, it’s a bargain. The piece has been valued at $1,601,875. [More]
Kay Jewelers Sends Wedding Rings To China For Repair: Will They Ever Come Back?
By 3.16.11 — Updated: 9.15.13
Jennifer and her husband bought her diamond wedding ring set in 2006, and the anniversary band to go along with it in 2007. They also bought an extended warranty for the rings, which was either a great idea or a terrible one, depending on how you look at it. It was a great idea because her rings seem to be defective. It was a terrible idea because she ultimately sent the jewelry off to the vendor in China for repair, and now Kay representatives are ducking her questions. She fears that the rings have been lost. [More]
This Is A $300,000 Barbie Doll
By 10.21.10
A Barbie doll dressed in a black cocktail dress, pink heels, and a sparkly pink necklace sold at auction at Christie’s yesterday for $302,500. Well, perhaps it’s not a Barbie doll so much as some plastic and fabric that happens to be attached to a custom-designed Cubist pink and white diamond necklace made by Australian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi. [More]
Blue Nile Sends E-Mails From Actual Human, Provides Free Earring Back
By 10.14.10
Steve purchased diamond earrings from Blue Nile for his wife back in January, and contacted the company because the back of one earring was starting to turn black. Concerned that there might be a problem with the metal, he contacted Blue Nile, and was thrilled that an actual human responded to him, and offered to replace something as simple as an earring back. [More]
