A Boston woman brought in her grandmother’s pearl necklace to a jewelry store for a simple repair. Then she noticed that the store may have “switched” the pearls to fake counterparts.
Kira Denney (@kiradenney), a TikTok content creator with over 3,000 followers on TikTok, posted a video on Jan. 2 that has since garnered 1 million views.
In it, she explains that her dream of wearing her grandmother’s pearls “on her wedding day” has been entirely crushed by the appearance of the pearls after she dropped them off at the jewelry store.
Do jewelry stores commonly ‘steal’ pearls?
When Denney received her pearls back for a basic clasp repair, she noticed that they had lost their shine and original luster. Confused, she realized there was a possibility that they were not from her original necklace.
Denney claimed that the jewelry store stole her pearls, and while some may do so, it doesn’t seem that stores commonly replace pearls with fake jewelry or pieces.
According to one commenter, stores like Kay Jewelers “[have] been caught swapping out diamonds/stones when people bring in rings for repairs.” Publications like CBS have discussed situations where Kay Jewelers replaced diamonds with “cheap imitations.” When the customer took their item to another jeweler, they claimed that the diamond had been replaced with moissanite. Then, the customer had to request the return of her diamond from the company, which eventually reset the jewel inside its setting.
But there are no specific reports of Kay Jewelers replacing pearl necklaces with cheap imitations. Commenters had completely different suggestions as to what happened to Denney’s pearls.
Other possibilities from commenters—what happened to Denney’s pearls?
Commenters suggest other possibilities for why the pearls look less beautiful and lustrous. A gemologist added their thoughts, saying, “I [can’t] tell you that the amount of times I’ve had to break it to people that ‘grandma’s pearl’ are plastic or glass is higher than you think. I’m sorry that happened, but it is possible that they were never real pearls to begin with and this is what happened when they cleaned them to restring them. (You often can’t swap the clasp without restringing due to the knot work).”
It’s possible that the pearls are authentic and genuine. They just lost their pearlescent coating after the jeweler treated them. Pearls have a natural nacre that develops while they’re inside oysters. The glossy, outer coating is very soft and susceptible to damage, making pearls incredibly delicate. Alongside that, when a pearl’s nacre deteriorates or peels, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fix. Some jewelers have experimented with giving already developed, peeling pearls back to oysters to redevelop their acre, but this isn’t a proven, reliable method of repairing them.
The only way to actually preserve pearls and their nacre is by following strict care instructions. That means keeping them in cool, dark environments when not in use and wearing them often rather than letting them collect dust. Pearls that are worn often collect oils from human skin, which can actually protect their top layers. Pearl owners should clean their pearl necklaces with a soft cloth and store them properly after use.
How could Denney seek compensation for the pearls?
Regardless of the situation, it does appear as though Denney’s pearls lost a significant amount of luster and quality. With that in mind, there may be recourse for her if the pearls were authenticated and came with a certificate.
As one commenter explained, “As long as you have the original certificate of authenticity for the pearls you should be able to fight it.”
However, if Denney doesn’t have the original certificate, she’ll have to rely on other methods to get compensation.
Denney might be able to receive compensation without a certificate if she can prove the damage using before-and-after pictures. That’s what some commenters shared they did before dropping off pearl necklaces with a jeweler.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you. My jeweler made me count every pearl, we wrote down the number of pearls and we photographed them before I left,” one commenter said.
Another added, “Do you have proof like before and after pics/videos? If so, [you can] go back and threaten legal action if they don’t correct it. Then speak to a lawyer if they don’t reconcile.”
Pearl necklaces can cost anywhere from $300–$100,000, although this necklace is most likely in the $300-$2,000 range based on the pearl’s individual sizes in Denney’s clips.
@kiradenney i dreamed of wearing them on my wedding day #pearls #jewelry ♬ Hmmm Hmmm – Skylen
The Mary Sue reached out to Denney via email for comment.
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