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Helzberg Diamond Lawsuit

Diamonds cut with precisely aligned and optimally proportioned facets produce a fascinating pattern called Hearts & Arrows (H&A), a visual phenomenon that appears in the finest Ideal Cut diamonds when viewed through a gemscope.

Diamonds may be forever but forever is a long time; lawsuits happen. As in this case, where the customer didn’t get exactly what she expected.

A Helzberg Diamonds customer is accusing the jewelry chain of deception.

Sara Khaliki of California, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, alleges she was deceived when she bought jewelry that was part of the Helzberg Diamond Collection.

She said the jewelry was supposed to have used a distinctive hearts and arrows cut for the diamonds, in a pattern of eight symmetrical arrows and hearts that appears under magnification. The cut typically commands a premium price.

The lawsuit contends that from 2005 to 2010 the collection instead used princess diamonds that used a different pattern and proportions that typically require less skill to cut and cost less. Nevertheless, the diamonds in the collection were still sold as having the hearts and arrows pattern, the lawsuit alleges.

The change to the princess cut, according to the lawsuit, was to boost profits.

Helzberg officials did not return calls requesting a response to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and class-action status to represent what it alleges are the “thousands” of people who were victims of the deceptive practice.

The 234-store Helzberg chain, based in North Kansas City, is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/04/2561541/lawsuit-accuses-helzberg-diamonds.html#ixzz1ABOvLuoy