Couple Sues Jeweler Who Lost Heirloom Engagement Ring for $75K

The ring had been worn by four generations of women in the bride-to-be's family.

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Engagement rings are symbolic and valuable pieces of jewelry that couples usually cherish for the rest of their lives—and those with a historical and familial connection are even more irreplaceable. That’s why one woman was devastated after a jewelry company lost her one-of-a-kind heirloom engagement ring that four generations of women in her family wore before her and that contained a $10,000 tanzanite gemstone her boyfriend incorporated. When the owner refused to compensate them for the loss, they decided to take legal action.

According to NBC-affiliated KTVZ, Nashville-based Dawson Blankinship wanted to propose to his girlfriend, Chelsea King, with an heirloom ring that has been in her family for decades. “It’s an heirloom that’s been passed down—my grandma wore it, my aunt wore it,” she said. Chelsea explained that 10 years ago, after her late aunt passed, she left the bauble in her niece’s name. And before her aunt had a turn at wearing the significant jewel, Chelsea’s late grandmother, who died last week, sported it. Blankinship planned on popping the question with the meaningful sparkler, along with a personal touch: a $10,000 Tanzanite gemstone.

To make the necessary adjustments, the pair took the heirloom piece to King Jewelers, a jewelry store in Nashville, and paid them $1,100 to meet their request. Even though the jeweler promised that they insure all of their designs, unbeknownst to the couple, they sent it, uninsured, to a third party in Florida. “They told me they insure all items, for up to $100,000,” Blankinship told the outlet. “What I didn’t know was that they were shipping it off to a gem cutter in Miami.”

Once the final product was ready in May 2024, the third-party gem cutter shipped it back to the store in Nashville, but along the way, the package was stolen from the FedEx truck, per the publication. The owner of King Jewelers, David King, said he’d give the couple a replacement ring—but he refused to reimburse them, according to the couple. “They never reached out to us behind the scenes, or to our attorney, or offered any compensation,” Chelsea noted. Upset and unsatisfied with David’s proposal, Chelsea took to TikTok to share her negative experience with the jewelry company.

After vocalizing their concerns on social media, the couple received a replacement ring with a Tanzanite stone from Genesis Diamonds, completely free of cost. “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,” Chelsea said in her TikTok video. Regardless, they aren’t ready to settle the dispute. “I feel like I need to continue this fight against King Jewelers because I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Chelsea explained.

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So, in October 2024, the couple decided to sue King Jewelers for over $75,000 in damages. In response, the company posted an online petition, claiming that they did offer several ways to resolve the matter. “These included creating a custom engagement ring using a superior-grade gemstone at no charge, or alternatively, compensating the client at fair market value,” the statement read. Now, the jewelry company is threatening to countersue the couple for “defamation and extortion,” asserting that the two are spreading false information and embellishing the tale. “Despite our efforts, the situation has escalated publicly and legally,” the jeweler said. “While we respect our clients’ right to express dissatisfaction, we maintain that we followed proper procedures.”

The statement maintained that the store has been an established business for over a century and that they “take great pride in standing by our principles,” they said. KTVZ noted that the jewelry store faced another lawsuit in 2019 and were held liable for selling fake Cartier and Van Cleef products.