It was a rough long weekend for Kay Jewelers.
Over the past week, reports have emerged from across the country claiming Kay has been removing diamonds from wedding rings and replacing them with less valuable stones.
One report from BuzzFeed identifies eight women from across the country who claim that Kay Jewelers (or stores owned by Kay’s parent company, Sterling Jewelers) swapped their diamonds for another stone when they took their rings in for repairs. Despite multiple complaints to the company, many of the women claim they never got their original diamond back.
Since BuzzFeed published their report last Wednesday, more women have come forward to localmedia outlets — and shared their horror stories on Kay Jewelers official Facebook page.
Kay Jewelers has been reaching out to angry customers on Facebook, and released the following statement to Refinery29.
"We have 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. As part of this process, our team members plot the guest’s diamond and map out each unique characteristic. Our teams review these unique details with the guest both when they come in to drop their jewelry off and when they pick up their jewelry following service or repair to ensure their confidence in the safe return of their original piece."
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
