Many people keep a close eye on their jewelry, especially if they paid a pretty penny for their pieces. With a costly ring or an expensive necklace, small alterations can be extremely obvious. A chip, a dent, or a scratch can tell a story before someone else has a chance to.
One woman says she experienced that firsthand when she got a ring back from Kay Jewelers. Jacki Kruse (@jackikruse10) says she took a diamond ring to the chain jeweler for a routine cleaning. But when she got it back, she swore something was “off.”
The content creator posted a video that received more than 347,000 views. In it, she asked her audience whether they noticed something wasn’t quite right, too.
Kay Jewelers: Did Someone Replace Her Diamond?
In the description of Kruse’s video, she spelled out what she thought was “off” with her ring. “It looks like one of the stones isn’t a diamond,” she said.
Commenters guessed that someone might have replaced it.
“Yeah, they stole one of your diamonds,” one viewer said.
A few viewers, however, said the store wouldn’t have done it.
“I managed Zales for 10 yrs. No one takes ur [expletive] diamond,” a viewer said.
Generally, loose diamonds are hard to sell and, in fact, worth very little. The poor resale value of a diamond sans metal holding it makes grand heist movies about “replacing the gemstone in an old, antique necklace or ring” more far-fetched than most people think.
“I wouldn’t think anyone would take a tiny diamond like that, but there’s definitely something off with the one. I’ll be taking it back to find out what’s up,” Kruse responded.
Are Lab-Grown Diamond Swaps Common?
There’s little evidence that lab-grown swaps are common, but some jewelers have been caught replacing stones in rings or necklaces.
In 2023, police arrested and charged a man who owned Timeless Jeweler in Salem, Oregon, with 11 counts of theft. According to JCK, the man, Douglas Wayne Gamble, “[swapped] natural diamonds with lab-growns.”
In addition, the Salem Police Department reported that Gamble allegedly returned customers’ items.
In 2024, a diamond dealer who worked in New York City was accused of the same crime—swapping natural diamonds for lab-grown ones. The suspect, Manashe Sezanayev, worked at Rachel’s Diamonds, located on Manhattan’s 47th Street.
National Jeweler, which reported on the situation, added that “The stones were valued at approximately $185,000 and $75,000.”
Does Kay Have a Lab-Grown Replacement Scheme?
Despite there being a few high-profile lab-grown swaps, reports of the same thing happening at jewelry chains such as Kay and even Zales are relatively slim.
Snopes partially debunked a 2016 investigation into Kay, which claimed there was a widespread issue with lab-grown swaps at the company. BuzzFeed pulled together eight different claims from Kay customers who all said that “jewelry sent for repair or cleaning at Kay Jewelers was returned without the original gems.”
Snopes, and BuzzFeed by extension, was not able to substantiate the customers’ claims or provide evidence that each of the incidents happened as described. The publication also concluded that there was no evidence of any widespread issue with Kay Jewelers, at least regarding lab-grown swaps.
Wait, Did Kay Chip the Diamond?
Other viewers had another guess as to why the diamond felt off.
“Jeweler here…. Diamond is chipped,” a commenter said.
A chipped diamond during a routine cleaning, which subsequently goes unnoticed, is more likely than a plot to steal a diamond. There’s an easier solution for a chip: Customers can easily report it to the jeweler, as Kay offers mail-in and in-person jewelry repair services.
Kruse, however, hasn’t given her audience an update. It’s unclear if the diamond in the ring is chipped, has been replaced, or is “off” for another reason.
Subplot News reached out to Kruse via TikTok direct message and Signey Jewelers, the parent company of Kay, via email. We will update this story if they respond.
@jackikruse10 I had my diamond ring serviced at Kay and now it looks like one of the stones isn't a diamond. Do you see what I see? #diamond #engagementring #diamondring #kay #fyp ♬ Stop The Wedding! – Ashe
