Cartier sells 18K rose-gold and diamond earrings for $13

by Tamanna Bhasin | May 3, 2024 1:25 pm

Rogelio Villarreal, a resident of Tamaulipas, Mexico, stumbled upon what seemed like an incredible opportunity when browsing luxury jeweller Cartier’s website: 18K diamond-studded rose-gold earrings priced at 237 Mexican pesos (US$13, C$19). Villarreal bought two pairs, completely unaware of the long legal battle that would follow the seemingly innocent purchase.

According to The New York Times[1], the earrings should have been a thousand times more expensive. Soon after Villareal’s purchase, the price of the listing online was adjusted to 237,000 pesos (approx. US$13,000, C$19,000).

Within a week of Villareal’s purchase, Cartier realized their error and endeavored to cancel the order. A series of attempts, including statements that the earrings were no longer available for purchase and phone calls from company representatives were made. As per the Times’ report, Villareal was offered a complimentary bottle of Cartier Cuvée champagne and a leather Cartier item as “compensation.” It was marked as “a gesture from the house of Cartier.”

Instead of accepting the compensation, Villarreal filed a complaint with Mexico’s consumer protection agency. Ahead of the scheduled mediation hearing, Cartier agreed to fulfill Villareal’s order of the earrings.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/cartier-sells-18k-diamond-earrings-for-13/

---