Costco learned a very expensive lesson this week: A “Tiffany” ring is a specific product sold by a specific company; not just a generic name for any diamond engagement ring. Now the warehouse retailer must pay Tiffany & Company $19.4 million for marketing and selling “Tiffany” diamond rings that had nothing to do with the famed jewelry store. [More]
jewelry
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]
Brides Claim Kay Jewelers Lost Or Ruined Their Engagement Rings
By 4.22.16
For many brides and brides-to-be, an engagement ring isn’t just a flashy new piece of jewelry, it’s a physical reminder of a pretty huge life event. So it’s no surprise that some customers of Kay Jewelers were pretty upset when their rings disappeared, came back damaged, or were replaced with sub-par jewelry. [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]
Lawsuit Claims $12,500 Pink Sapphire Bought In 1999 Turned Out To Be A Fake Worth Only $30
By 7.10.15
A Delaware woman says she was upset to find out she’d been showing off a fake on her finger for the last 16 years, after an expert deemed the pink sapphire in the ring her husband had bought for her birthday was worth only $30, instead of the $12,500 the couple thought. [More]
Takata Is Not The Biggest Product Recall In U.S. History
By 5.20.15
The recall of Takata airbags used cars made by multiple manufacturers is massive: currently at 34 million vehicles in the United States alone and the list will apparently grow longer. Many news outlets are referring to this as the largest product recall in United States history, but it isn’t. [More]
News Flash: Someone Will Probably Notice If You Try To Wheel A Jewelry Case Out Of Kmart
By 3.9.15
While we’ve heard of suspected shoplifters obscuring pilfered items on their person in unique ways in an attempt at subterfuge, police in Kingsport, TN say one woman accused of trying to steal from a local Kmart cut right to the chase in her effort, as she allegedly attempted to wheel an entire jewelry case out of the store. [More]
Jewelry Stores Hide Price Tags So Customers Don’t Bolt For The Door Immediately
By 9.22.14
There’s nothing quite like cruising around the aisles of a jewelry store or department like a creep, stealing glances at baubles and bangles while trying not to act too interested. Because there are no price tags on many of those items, so heaven forbid if someone were to come up and ask if you want to check it out, and then if turns out to be nine majillion dollars you have to back out, embarrassed. There’s a reason there are no price tags proudly on display, of course. [More]
Signet Acquires Zales, Creates Mediocre Jewelry Voltron
By 5.30.14
We love to use wedding imagery when discussing corporate mergers, because it’s a useful metaphor: months of preparation and due diligence lead to a joyous union and (we hope) decades of happiness as life partners. In the case of the acquisition of Zale Corp. by Signet Jewelers Ltd., the comparison is just poor writing, since all companies involved are mall jewelry stores, where Americans buy their wedding bling. [More]
Postal Worker Pleads Guilty To Stealing $450,000 Worth Of Mailed Jewelry
By 10.28.13
Pawn shops in the Cash America chain sent packages including precious jewelry to a repair and refurbishment center Fort Worth, Texas, but starting in 2011, many packages never reached their destination. Why was that? It took a two-year investigation to find the culprit, a worker at a processing and distribution center in North Texas. He pleaded guilty this week in federal court. [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]
Lawsuit: Costco Has Been Selling Bogus Tiffany Engagement Rings For Years
By 2.15.13
While most consumers’ image of Costco involves people stocking up on cases of ketchup, toilet paper, and bottled water, the warehouse retailer does sell some high-end jewelry and accessories. But the folks at Tiffany & Company claim the “Tiffany” rings that were being sold at Costco were anything but. [More]
My Wedding Band Missed My Wedding, And Macy’s Won’t Refund Rush Shipping
By 12.12.12
Okay, Ree probably should have ordered her wedding band a little earlier. Ordering it on November 21 for a November 30 wedding isn’t too bad, though: there are six whole business days for it to show up! That’s why she accepted the financial penalty of paying for faster shipping. Everything should have been fine. Until, apparently, everything that could go wrong with shipping a piece of jewelry within the same country did. The truck broke down. The ring was delivered to the wrong house. The ring was delivered to the wrong door of the wrong house. In the meantime, Ree had managed to find the same ring in stock at another store in the area. They got married, came back from the honeymoon, and… the original ring hadn’t showed up yet. [More]
This Hot Topic Brain Necklace Looks Awfully Familiar
By 8.2.12
On her Etsy profile, Sarah writes that she makes sculpted jewelry in her Toronto apartment. Her pieces are cute, like cookie-shaped rings, and creepy-cute, like cufflinks shaped like anatomical hearts. But one of her signature pieces is a set of heart-shaped “best friends” necklaces with the texture of green brains. It’s creepily adorable, and a best-seller. Apparently national chain Hot Topic agrees, since they happen to be selling a very similar design. [More]
Kay Jewelers Doesn't Know How To Separate A Pendant And A Chain
By 3.8.12
It seems that the only way Brian’s girlfriend could keep the necklace he bought her at Kay Jewelers from breaking is to not wear it, which isn’t really the intended use of a necklace. It has now broken three times in the same spot. He bought an extended warranty, which would have been a good idea if the store would replace the chain instead of repairing it over and over. Instead, he has to turn in the chain and pendant for store credit and buy something else. Why can’t they replace the defective chain and leave Brian the pendant? Because they just can’t. [More]
