Couple sues Green Hills jewelry store after family ring was stolen

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville couple has filed a lawsuit against King Jewelers in Green Hills, alleging the store failed to insure their engagement ring containing a valuable tanzanite crystal that was later stolen from a FedEx truck.

Chelsea King and Dawson Blankinship’s relationship has evolved from friendship to romance. In his search for the perfect ring, Dawson planned to propose using a $9,500 tanzanite crystal, hoping to place it in Chelsea’s family heirloom.

“It’s a family heirloom that’s been passed down – my grandmother used to wear it. My aunt wore it,” Chelsea King said.

The couple paid King Jewelers $1,100 to make the ring, and the jeweler sent it to an outside cutter in Florida. But upon return, the package was stolen. Chelsea and Dawson claim that King Jewelers did not insure the items despite being told otherwise, and that the store refused to compensate them.

“They told me they insured all the items up to $100,000,” Dawson said. “What I didn’t know was that they were sending it to a gem cutter in Miami.”

Frustrated by the lack of a solution, Chelsea shared their experience on TikTokwhere their story quickly went viral.

The couple claims owner David King offered to replace the ring but received no monetary compensation.

“They never approached us behind the scenes or our lawyer or offered any compensation,” Chelsea said.

Now Chelsea and Dawson are suing King Jewelers for more than $75,000 in damages, and Dawson hopes to warn others. “We don’t want people to go down this path and feel stuck and hopeless,” he said.

In response, King Jewelers posted a statement online saying their initial offer was to create a custom ring or compensate the couple at fair market value.

A King Jewelers spokesman said: “Our goal from the outset has been to resolve this matter fairly and transparently.” They also suggested that the couple’s online statements amounted to libel and extortion, and indicated that the company was prepared to countersue.

Despite the challenges, Chelsea says they are focused on their future together. “I just wanted to get engaged and have a happy ending,” she said.

Here is the full statement from King Jewelers:

“We regret the situation and how it developed. Our goal from the outset has been to resolve this issue fairly and transparently, and we have proposed several options to remedy the situation. These include creating a custom engagement ring using a high quality stone. the gemstone for free or, alternatively, compensating the client for fair market value.

Despite our efforts, the situation has escalated publicly and legally. While we respect our customers’ right to express grievances, we maintain that we have followed proper procedures. We are now faced with a legal matter that we believe constitutes libel and extortion, and we are prepared to file a counterclaim to correct the exaggerations and false information being circulated online. The Better Business Bureau has already closed this case because we offered every possible assistance to the client, but did not want to be taken advantage of.

As a family-owned jewelry store that has been in business for over 100 years, we pride ourselves on sticking to our principles. We remain committed to providing quality service and transparency to all of our clients.”

The lawsuit also notes that King Jewelers was sued in 2019 for allegedly selling counterfeit versions of Cartier and Van Cleef merchandise from its trademarked collections.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at [email protected].

A trip to see some of our neighbors’ best Halloween decorations.

There are only a few days left until Halloween. Americans are expected to spend about $12 billion on candy, costumes and jewelry this year. Over the past few years, it seems like more and more people are going out of their way to decorate their homes. Forrest Sanders had the opportunity to visit several communities in the middle of the state to see some of these Halloween decorations.

-Lelan Statom