Woman sues ‘The Wedding Ring Shop’ claiming store swapped her diamond ring

By Shanila Kabir

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    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — An Oahu woman is suing a Honolulu jeweler claiming they swapped out her diamond ring for one with a smaller stone.

Kristy Torii said she went to get her ring fixed at “The Wedding Ring Shop” in Honolulu in 2021. Torii said she walked in with a 3.0 carat diamond ring, which she believes was valued at $60,000, but when she got it back, she had a new diamond weighing only 2.25 carats.

Island News reached out to the Wedding Ring Shop which denied the allegation.

Their attorney, Andrew Lautenbach said in a statement:

“The Wedding Ring Shop and Mr. Han categorically deny the plaintiff’s allegations. There is no merit to the plaintiff’s claims and The Wedding Ring Shop and Mr. Han intend to vigorously defend against the claims in the litigation.”

Torri’s attorney, Cathy Juhn, said the ring was not insured. She said without that certification, it is very hard to prove there was a switch.

“It was altered and she let them know and they denied it. Unfortunately, with many people whose rings aren’t insured or appraised prior to giving it someone else, it just their word against the other’s. The trust was broken,” said Juhn, attorney at Ortiz & Associates.

Juhn added that a lot of people do not understand the importance of insuring your jewelry before going to a jeweler. Experts at Hawaii Estate & Jewelry Buyers in Downtown Honolulu say all jewelry worth over $1,500 needs to be insured for damages and or instances like the Torii vs the Wedding Ring Shop case.

“By doing this for years, I’ve noticed people do not know what they have and they come back and didn’t know they had an inclusion or a laser inspection. It’s better to know what we’re taking in and what we’re giving back,” said Moshe Hakemolo, owner of Hawaii Estate & Jewelry Buyers.

Hakemolo said their repair shop is also insured and backed up in case their employees accidentally misplace or break a customer’s jewelry. He said it is important on both sides.

The Torii vs The Wedding Ring Shop case is ongoing.

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