Tenn. Couple Sues Jewelers After Engagement Ring Is Allegedly Stolen During Transport

• A Tennessee couple is suing a jeweler who they claim failed to compensate them for an engagement ring lost to theft
• In a viral TikTok video, bride-to-be Chelsea King shared that she went to a local jeweler to combine her family’s fourth-generation heirloom engagement ring and her fiancé’s tanzanite crystal, worth $10K, into an engagement ring — but the ring was stolen in transit from a gem cutter back to the business
• “Despite our efforts, the situation has escalated publicly and legally,” the jeweler told PEOPLE in a statement, adding, “While we respect our clients’ right to express dissatisfaction, we maintain that we followed proper procedures”

A Tennessee couple is suing a jeweler who they claim failed to compensate them for an engagement ring lost to theft.

Bride-to-be Chelsea King shared in a viral TikTok video that she and her fiancé, identified by WSMV as Dawson Blankship, had planned to combine her family’s fourth-generation heirloom engagement ring and his tanzanite crystal, worth $10K, into an engagement ring — but came up empty-handed.

She said that she and her Blankship had sent the ring to Nashville-based King Jewelers to prepare it for their engagement, and they paid $1,100 for the service. However, they told KTVZ-TV that they were unaware that the jewelers then sent the ring to a third-party gem cutter in Florida. On its way back to the jeweler in Tennessee, it was allegedly stolen.

“They had it in their case when FedEx lost the package,” King noted on TikTok. 

Blankship claimed, per KTVZ-TV and the complaint — which was reviewed by PEOPLE — that King Jewelers did not insure the items when they were in the gem cutter’s care and being transported back to the jeweler afterward, despite the business allegedly informing them that they “insure all items, for up to $100,000.” He also alleged that King Jewelers refused to compensate them for the loss, though the owner of the company did offer a replacement ring, per the outlet.

King said that she, Blankship and the jewelers have not been able to resolve the issue since it happened, and they have since filed a lawsuit asking for $75,000 in damages against King Jewelers for the incident, KTVZ-TV reported and PEOPLE confirmed via the complaint.

“We never heard anything from them,” she alleged in a separate TikTok video. “They never offered to compensate us. They never reached out to our lawyers to compensate us.”

King Jewlers told PEOPLE in a statement that they had “offered several options to rectify the situation” with the couple, including “creating a custom engagement ring using a superior-grade gemstone at no charge” or “compensating the client at fair market value.”

“Despite our efforts, the situation has escalated publicly and legally,” the company continued in their statement. “While we respect our clients’ right to express dissatisfaction, we maintain that we followed proper procedures.” 

King Jewelers added, “We are now facing a legal matter that we believe constitutes defamation and extortion, and we are prepared to counter-sue to address the exaggerations and false information being spread online.” Furthermore, they noted, “This case was already dismissed by the Better Business Bureau as we offered to assist the client in any way possible, yet we are not willing to be taken advantage of.”

In the complaint, the groom and bride stated that King Jewelers “coordinated an outrageous campaign of slander” and were falsely accusing them of “extortion” and other crimes”.

King shared on TikTok that she and Blankship did eventually get engaged, but the couple still intends to move forward with legal proceedings against the company.

“I do feel like in the midst of the chaos, we got a happy ending — we got engaged, we got a beautiful engagement ring, we got to celebrate with our friends,” King said. “We don’t want people to go down this route and feel stuck and hopeless.”