Los Angeles, California-based influencer Tana Mongeau says she’s pausing her “peace era” to call out Tiffany & Co. after she realizes her new pieces from the brand are of poor quality. She warns others to opt for other luxury jewelry brands after her experience.
In a video with over 6.9 million views, Mongeau (@tanamongeaulol) says she waited seven days to publish her viral rant to see if she was “still mad.”
“Quite frankly, I’m going to be mad about this until the day I croak,” she says. “I want to talk to somebody at Tiffany & Co.”
Mongeau says she had an amazing time shopping at the Tiffany & Co. store in Australia and was excited to add two rings and a bracelet to her curated “stack” of jewelry she wears daily.
She notes that she noticed a red flag at the store when the workers told her that customers have been returning or exchanging “fake” Tiffany jewelry as part of a scam. In the moment, she doesn’t think much of it, believing the issue won’t impact her.
However, when she wakes up the next day, she notices something strange on her fingers.
“I look at my arm, I say, ‘Wow, we couldn’t afford ramen, and now we have new Tiffany & Co.,'” she says. “And as I’m looking at my hand for a little longer, I notice that my brand new Tiffany ring has turned my finger green. I mean Elphaba green.”
Why does some jewelry turn skin green?
According to an article by fine jewelry company Timothy Roe, jewelry can leave a green tinge on the skin if the metal is mixed with copper. This occurs when copper reacts with oils on the skin to form copper salts, which temporarily turn the skin green. Certain lotions or hand creams can also cause the metal alloy to form.
Several Tiffany & Co. rings are made with copper, according to the jeweler’s website, which could make a genuine ring responsible for green fingers. However, Mongeau notes that she purchased a sterling silver ring. She compares it to her David Yurman sterling silver ring, which has never turned her finger green.
Mongeau says she didn’t apply any new products to her hands that could have caused an out-of-the-ordinary reaction.
On the subreddit r/jewelry, other Tiffany & Co. shoppers say their sterling silver rings turned their fingers green and black. They suggest that they only have this reaction to Tiffany’s sterling silver, as opposed to other sterling silver they own.
Why is she concerned about Tiffany & Co.’s quality?
Mongeau returns to Tiffany & Co. to request a new ring after the original turns her hand green.
“They immediately exchange it for a new ring, which is also a red flag because I think Cartier or Van Cleef would clean it or do something else,” she says. “What was wrong with that [ring] that I just paid $1,000 for?”
While the new ring didn’t turn her fingers green, she says an issue with her new $8,000 bracelet sent her over the edge.
About 24 days after purchasing the bracelet, which has a bending mechanism to put on the wrist, it starts to become deformed.
“The Tiffany was starting to bend and wobble apart,” she says. “Now, the bracelet is getting caught on everything.”
Mongeau says that she was trying on a top when she heard a piece of jewelry fall off. Initially, she thinks it’s an attachment on her nipple ring, until she sees the Tiffany & Co. bracelet lying on the ground. She realizes the bending mechanism had snapped, making the bracelet unwearable.
“I can’t believe they are charging $8,000 for something as flimsy and worn down [as this]. It’s costume jewelry,” Mongeau laments. “I’m so disgusted with this. I would rather have 8,000 bags of Skittles.”
She warns other shoppers to spend their money at other fine jewelers, rather than Tiffany & Co.
In a follow-up video, Mongeau walks past a Tiffany & Co. storefront and spits at it.
Have other Tiffany & Co. shoppers experienced similar issues?
In the comments, other Tiffany & Co. shoppers say they’ve experienced the brand’s disappointing quality firsthand.
“Dude that happened to a bracelet and they said it was my fault!!!!” one exclaims.
“MY TIFFANY PEARL BRACELET BROKE N MY BF GOT IT FIXED AT TIFFANY AND CO AND IT BROKE OFF AGAINNNN,” another laments.
A third shares, “My moms broke after 30 days and they told her she was being too ‘rough’ with it.”
“My grandma got me a Tiffany necklace for my high school graduation. I was so excited to have my first piece of Tiffany jewelry…. It was literally ruined after wearing it for 1 week & nothing could be done,” a fourth adds.
Others say Mongeau’s rant about the questionable quality of the fine jeweler is completely valid.
“This entire video is such a valid reaction bc wtf do u mean 8k and it breaks like shein jewelry,” a commenter says.
“Tiffany of 20-50 years ago is NOT the same as Tiffany today and I’m devastated about it,” a second writes.
@tanamongeaulol @Tiffany&Co. ♬ original sound – Tana Mongeau
The Mary Sue reached out to Mongeau and Tiffany & Co. via press contact form for further comment.
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