Woman who bought €3,000 emerald and ring from Dublin jeweller discovers it's a fake

Sunday World

8 hours ago

Independent goldsmith inspected ring bought from Shuwan Li's Empress Fine Jewels off Dublin's Grafton Street
A customer of a Dublin-based jeweller who has filed for bankruptcy is 'disappointed but not surprised' to learn that a €3,000 emerald and diamond ring she purchased contains fake gemstones.
Shuwan Li, who ran Empress Fine Jewels on Johnson's Court off Grafton Street, was being pursued for debts of €1.5m when she went bankrupt in March.
The Sunday World recently revealed that another customer took legal action against Empress Fine Jewels, which was ordered to pay her nearly €35,000, after diamond rings she entrusted to the store were reported stolen while being taken by a pensioner on a bus to another location to be cleaned.
In the aftermath of publicity surrounding this case, another woman decided to have her triple diamond emerald cluster ring — which she bought from the jewellery shop in December 2023 — tested.
An independent valuer examined the ring using specialist technology and has in recent days confirmed the woman's suspicions that the stones are fake.
This customer, who does not wish to be identified, said she visited a number of jewellers in search of an emerald ring before attending Empress Fine Jewels in mid-December 2023.
If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is
'The initial price I was quoted was €4,200 but I got the price down to €3,000. That was the red flag I didn't see. As they saying goes, 'if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is,'' she said.
The woman said she did not expect to be sold fake emeralds from the jewellery shop on Johnson's Court, near more established jewellers in the Grafton Street area.
She said she was provided with a valuation report from Empress Fine Jewels upon purchase, which stated that the '18ct gold triple diamond emerald cluster ring' had a 'market value' of €4,200.
This document, as well as the woman's €3,000 invoice, have been seen by this newspaper. However, in recent weeks, the woman decided to have her emerald and diamond ring tested by a Dublin valuer to establish the authenticity of the gemstones.
The independent goldsmith has now confirmed that the gemstones are not emeralds and the diamonds are also fake.
Shuwan Li
Sources familiar with the case say it is likely that the ring is in fact only worth a couple of hundred euro. The customer has not made a complaint to An Garda Síochána. She feels it 'might not be worthwhile' as it would be highly unlikely she would get her money back given that Ms Li has filed for bankruptcy.
When she bought the piece of jewellery, the ring needed to be resized, so it took a few weeks for her to receive it.
'When I did get it, I always felt it wasn't the same ring I had chosen in the shop. It was too shiny. I always had concerns about it and now it is confirmed that it is fake. It was a wicked thing to happen but at the same time, there are far worse things going on in the world,' she said.
'You live and learn. I was duped. I had decided to treat myself and I wanted an emerald ring. Of course, I wish it didn't happen. I will probably still wear it on the odd occasion. I've accepted that it is fake and decided to just move on, because there's nothing that can be done now.
'I just hope it hasn't happened to too many other people and I would like people to be aware,' she added.
An independent valuer confirmed the ring's emeralds and diamonds were not real
Efforts were made to contact Ms Li for comment. Court filings show Ms Li had just €100 in cash and €21.88 in her bank account when she sought to have her €1.5m debts wiped out. Her only personal assets were a €3,000 engagement ring and a €900 wedding ring.
The Sunday World reported in recent weeks that another Dublin woman obtained a judgment of almost €35,000 against Empress Fine Jewels and Ms Li earlier this year after four rings she left in for cleaning were reportedly stolen.
She took a civil case against the business and a Circuit Court judgment seen by this newspaper ordered that Shuwan Li, trading as Empress Fine Jewels and Empress Fine Jewels Ltd, reimburse her €34,180. However, court documents also reveal that Ms Li filed for bankruptcy on March 3 this year, so the woman who sued her is unlikely to be compensated.
Shuwan Li Mooney ran a jewellery shop in Dublin city centre
On May 8, 2024, the woman left four rings worth around €35,000 into the store to be cleaned. They included her wedding and engagement rings, and two other pieces with rare stones.
She received a call the next day from the jeweller, telling her the rings had been stolen from a person travelling on a Dublin Bus.
She was told a pensioner had been entrusted to take the jewellery to another premises to be cleaned by a specialist and used a bus to get there. Gardaí were told the alleged robbery took place on the pensioner's return journey.
This is not the first time Empress Fine Jewels has been before the courts
The customer said she had no idea that her rings were to leave the premises for cleaning. She said she was 'flabbergasted' that the items would be taken elsewhere, and also that they would be transported on a bus by a pensioner, who appeared frail, given his use of a walking aid.
Gardaí have obtained CCTV of the man on the bus and later took a preliminary statement from him. The customer has also given gardaí a formal statement.
The investigation remains open, but there have been no arrests and no significant developments in terms of recovering the missing rings.
This is not the first time Empress Fine Jewels has been before the courts.
Last year, an agreement was reached to resolve a High Court row between the business and an Italian jewellery distributor over €500,000 worth of jewels.
World Diamond Group (WDG) sued Shuwan Li and Empress Fine Jewels.
Among the claims were that Shuwan Li made an alleged threat to 'put people in the river' in the midst of the fallout between the diamond sellers.