Bensimon Online, trading as Bensimon Bespoke Diamond Atelier has been ordered to pay Selwood, the captain of the Geelong Cats, more than $69,000 after the business lost his fiancée’s engagement ring. The company is owned by Bensimon’s wife, Kate, but promotes him as leading its diamond sourcing operations.
Selwood, 31, purchased a custom-designed 3.21-carat round brilliant diamond ring, valued at $66,000, from the company in July 2018. It was sent back for resizing in October but was never returned, according to legal documents.
In addition, the promised GIA Certificate for the centre stone was not delivered to Selwood.
In a statement, the company claimed the footballer was fully refunded in February this year – a claim repeated by Ron Bensimon to The Age last week.
However, Selwood countered that he had only received $6,000.
Representatives for Bensimon Online did not attend the hearing at the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria and a default judgment was entered against it, upholding an earlier order for Selwood to be repaid the value of the ring plus interest and legal costs.
Selwood’s counsel Sarah Galbally, of LOD Legal, told The Age, “The money owed to Joel Selwood has not been refunded by Kate Bensimon or the company. We are still awaiting Kate Bensimon or her company to make the payment to meet the orders made by the court, by way of a judgment debt. The next step is for enforcement proceedings.”
As reported in Jeweller, Ron Bensimon’s previous business, Bensimon Retail Group – which included Bensimon Diamonds within the Crown complex in Melbourne – was placed into liquidation in 2016 owing $7 million.
Bensimon himself was served with a bankruptcy notice by Australian Diamond Trading Corporation after he failed to pay for or return diamonds valued at more than $670,000, which had been provided to him on consignment.
In court proceedings, Bensimon admitted to having used the diamonds as collateral for loans from third parties – one of which was gold and diamond dealer Alejandro Mendieta Blanco, who was then prosecuted on charges related to receiving stolen goods.
Blanco also faced separate charges related to a spate of Melbourne jewellery store robberies, as well as tax fraud.
Ron and Kate Bensimon later relocated to Sydney, where she established the online-only Atelier business.
More reading:
Crown Casino jeweller in liquidation with $7 million debt
Diamond dealer serves bankruptcy notice on Bensimon
Melbourne jewellery robberies linked to gold GST fraud
Gold dealer linked to jewellery robberies ordered to pay $200,000