WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Diamante the Diamond Manufacturers should be reimbursed for buying a diamond that was lost by its true owner in West Palm Beach, Fla., the jeweler alleges.
The California-based jeweler is suing West Palm Beach estate jeweler Provident Jewelry & Loan for allegedly misrepresenting the details surrounding a diamond Diamante purchased, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Wednesday.
Diamante attorney Eric Luckman alleges in the Palm Beach Circuit Court suit his clients should be reimbursed for payment for the Provident diamond since it was determined to have actually belonged to an area resident.
"They sell a stone they claim is good and it turns out the title has a cloud on it," Luckman alleged. "My client is out $150,000 give or take."
The 5-carat diamond was lost by Laura Litinsky of Boca Raton, Fla., at the Norton Museum of Art in November 2006 and the jewel was later sold to Provident by an unidentified French jeweler.
The Sun-Sentinel said Diamante, who is suing Provident for breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, was forced to return the ring to Litinsky after the Gemological Institute of America identified it as her missing diamond.
