BuzzFeed News found at least eight women who have claimed that Kay Jewelers swapped the diamonds from their engagement rings for lesser stones during repairs. One of the incidents allegedly happened at Westminster Mall.
Chrissy Clarius dropped her $4,300 engagement ring off at the Kay in Westminster Mall for a repair. The stone that came back lacked her diamond’s laser-engraved serial number.
Clarius said she took her stone to be tested at Littman Jewelers in the mall and Smyth in Baltimore. Both stores told her the stone wasn’t a diamond, but a far less precious moissanite.
“I felt sick to my stomach,” Clarius said.
Kay disputed Clarius’s claim, and said the stone tested as a diamond. They sent it to Zales (a Kay sister company, natch), where it also registered as a diamond.
It’s important to note that moissanite is notorious for producing false positives in certain diamond testers. It’s also important to note that there’s basically no way the laser engraving would magically disappear.
Kay told BuzzFeed that the company is “continuing to work with Ms. Clarius toward resolution.”
