New Jersey jeweler Justin Wentzel, 43, was arrested on Aug. 7 for allegedly misrepresenting lab-grown diamonds as naturals, according to a notice from the Mount Olive Township, N.J., police department.
Police said that in June a customer told a local detective Wentzel had sold them three pieces of jewelry containing synthetic diamonds falsely identified as naturals.
A subsequent investigation determined that Wentzel overvalued the jewelry by as much as $23,800, according to police.
Wentzel was charged with theft by deception, criminal simulation, and falsifying or tampering with a record. He was released pending a court hearing. He could not be reached for comment.
Jewelers in Utah and New York have been charged with similar offenses in the past couple of years.
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