Woman wants a diamond, gets shaft, then refund

By Harry Keaney

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but sometimes they can be troublesome, something Mary May and her husband, Gerard, from Dublin, know all too well by now.

Last week, the couple came to Manhattan’s diamond district to buy a wedding anniversary ring for Mary. In Shenoa and Company, on West 47th Street, they found a diamond ring of their choice — for $6,000.

While examining the ring on the plane back to Dublin, however, Mary May came to suspect the diamond was flawed. May’s lawyer, Kerryman Denis Guerin, explained that although the diamond was genuine, it seemed "shattered inside."

"It was broken inside," Guerin said.

In Ireland, May had it appraised and, according to Guerin, was told it was flawed.

Leon Bitelman, of Shenoa and Company, told the Echo that there was nothing wrong with the diamond, which was a two carat stone with inclusions. "She came back, we gave her her money back and we have a friend, not an enemy," Bitelman said. "She agreed it was a beautiful ring but, somehow, she expected a little more for her money," Bitelman said.

He added that he can sell the stone "for much more" than $6,000.

Guerin said the couple didn’t discover what they regarded as the flaw before they left Shenoa and Company because they were in a hurry to catch their return flight to Ireland. However, May immediately flew back to New York and contacted Guerin, to whom she was referred by lawyers in Ireland.

On Thursday, both Guerin and May visited Shenoa and Company, but, according to Guerin, the store refused to return May her money.

On Friday, May called the "Gay Byrne Show" on RTE Radio in Ireland and outlined her complaint. Guerin said she also picketed Shenoa and Company, a move that attracted some media attention.

At this point, Guerin again visited the store and Bitelman returned May her $6,000.

A spokesperson for the "Gay Byrne Show," who spoke to May on Monday, told the Echo she wasn’t interested in talking to the media at this time.