Woman takes $10K necklace in for repairs, says jewelry store gave her a $50 knockoff back

Dawn Corlew of Lee’s Summit, Missouri has, from time to time, needed repairs done on various pieces of jewelry she owns. A few years ago, she brought a piece into Jewelry Arts, a jewelry store in Prairie Village, Kansas, and had a favorable experience there.
When Ms. Corlew saw that her diamond and platinum necklace needed its chain repaired last March, she decided to return to Jewelry Arts. As KCTV5 News reports, that might have been a mistake.Ms. Corlew told KCTV that her necklace, one she claims is worth $10,000, was never returned to her and that Jewelry Arts gave her back a cheap, $50 necklace instead. She’s distraught over the matter, telling the station, “I have been so sick, it’s really hard for me to talk about. So sick over this, I’ve had this necklace for a long time, you know, it just means a lot to me. It’s very beautiful.”
Jewelry Arts denies Ms. Corlew’s claims, going as far as to say she’s lying. The store’s owner, Mark Newman, said he has rules in place to prevent this kind of thing from happening, including taking pictures of the jewelry when it’s brought in. Ms. Corlew, however, thinks that picture is “worthless,” and that if she doesn’t get her necklace back, she will take Jewelry Arts to small claims court.

KCTV asked jeweler Kevin Weaver for advice on how people can prevent something like this from happening to them. He recommends having an appraisal done for your piece, taking photographs of it, and that one should consider engraving their initials in the jewelry as well.