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What Customers Need To Know About Trust In The Jewelry Industry
A recent incident regarding diamond swapping at Kay Jewelers has changed the jewelry industry and the way customers will purchase jewelry forever. A woman, Chrissy Clarius, reported that after sending her solitaire diamond ring on a 14-karat white-gold band out for repairs, the stone returned to her later was not a diamond.
The ring was purchased under Kay’s gemstone guarantee, so Clarius got her ring inspected every six months. When she brought the ring to Kay’s to have the ring inspected, she could sense that something was off when the employee was unable to find the certification number, which is supposed to be inscribed on the diamond by the GSI. Her husband saw the inscription when he purchased the ring, and Clarius unknowingly trusted Kay Jewelers, so she sent the ring out for repairs.
A few weeks later when she returned to pick up the ring, Clarius asked the employee to look for the certification number, and again, they were unable to find it. The manager told the woman that the number must have not been put on the ring. Clarius felt uneasy with this news.
The couple then took the ring to Littman Jewelers, another jeweler at the mall. The jeweler tested the ring and discovered that Clarius’s concerns were legitimate. The stone was not a diamond. The stone was actually moissanite; a stone that closely resembles a diamond, but is much more affordable and a man-made substitute.
To be sure, the couple brought the ring to another local Baltimore jeweler. After testing the stone, this jeweler also found that the stone was moissanite. Strangely enough, when the ring was tested at Kay, the test showed that the stone was a diamond. Clarius posted on Kay’s Facebook page, and has since been contacted by hundreds of other women who claim that their diamond has been replaced.
An engagement ring has incredible sentimental value. Clarius told BuzzFeed News that the situation and the swapping of her diamond was just “taking the memories away.”
The entire jewelry industry has been affected by the Kay Jewelers incident. Customers are cautious and much more skeptical when it comes to purchasing fine jewelry from any jeweler or company. It is unfortunate that every jewelry company may take a hit after this incident, but it is a gentle reminder of how important trust is within the jewelry industry. Developing a brand with a good reputation and excellent customer engagement is increasingly necessary. It’s important to show customers the trustworthy faces behind the brand. This reassures them that the jewelry they are purchasing is of the highest quality and is fully supported by those who work for the company.
The question is: will customers be able to trust jewelers after this incident? The answer should be yes. This incident has reminded us all how important trust is within this industry. Can customer’s trust Kay Jewelers? We don’t know the full story yet. What we know now is that people will be skeptical. People will be unsure. Now more than ever, jewelry companies have the opportunity to showcase their dependability as a brand and make it known that they can be trusted.
At JEWELv, we guarantee only natural gemstones, and each stone comes with a certificate of authenticity. We are proud of what we do here, and you can trust us.
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Sam Sternweiler
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