Couple sues jewelers after engagement ring was allegedly stolen during transport

• A Tennessee couple is suing a jeweler they say failed to pay compensation 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 engagement ring and her fiancé’s $10,000 tanzanite crystal into an engagement ring — but the ring was stolen during the transport of a gemstone cutter back to the company
• “Despite our efforts, the situation has escalated publicly and legally,” the jeweler told PEOPLE in a statement, adding: “While we respect our customers’ right to express their dissatisfaction, we continue to maintain that we have the proper procedures in place have followed.”

A Tennessee couple is suing a jeweler who they say failed to pay compensation for an engagement ring lost to theft.

Bride-to-be Chelsea King shared in a viral TikTok video by which she and her fiancé are identified WSMV as Dawson Blankship, planned to combine her family’s fourth-generation engagement ring and its tanzanite crystal, worth $10,000, into an engagement ring, but came up empty-handed.

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

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

Blankship alleged, according to KTVZ-TV and the complaint — which was reviewed by PEOPLE — that King Jewelers failed to insure the items while they were in the gem cutter’s care and then transported back to the jeweler, despite the company allegedly notifying them that they “Insure all items, up to $100,000.” He also claimed that King Jewelers refused to compensate them for the loss, although the company’s owner did offer a replacement ring, according to the outlet.

King said she, Blankship and the jewelers have been unable to resolve the issue since it happened, and have since filed a lawsuit seeking $75,000 in damages against King Jewelers for the incident, KTVZ-TV reported and PEOPLE confirmed via the complaint. .

“We never heard from them,” she claimed in one separate TikTok video. “They never offered to compensate us. They never contacted 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 “making a custom engagement ring free of charge using a superior quality gemstone” or “compensating the customer at a fair market value. ”

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

King Jewelers added: “We are now faced with a legal issue that we believe involves defamation and extortion, and we are prepared to file a counterclaim to address the exaggerations and false information being spread online.” Additionally, they noted, “This case had already been rejected by the Better Business Bureau because we offered to assist the customer in any way we could, but we are not willing to be taken advantage of.

In the complaint, the groom and bride stated that King Jewelers “coordinated an outrageous smear campaign” and falsely accused them of “racketeering” and other crimes.”

King shared on TikTok that she and Blankship eventually got engaged, but the couple still plans to take legal action against the company.

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