Crooked NJ Jeweler Who Passed Off Phony Diamonds As Real Faces More Charges: Mt Olive PD

A New Jersey jeweler who was previously charged with selling lab-grown diamonds as genuine has been hit with more charges in Mount Olive, authorities announced last week.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, a man met with detectives and said he purchased a ring from Justin Wentzel, a 43-year-old Netcong resident, which was reported to have real diamonds, Mount Olive police said.

An independent appraisal of the ring showed lab-grown diamonds, and a value lower that the original appraisal provided by Wentzel, police said. Wentzel turned himself into police headquarters and was charged with criminal simulation, falsifying or tampering with records, and theft by deception, police said.

In August, a woman told officers she purchased a diamond ring from Wentzel, that had been found to contain a lab grown diamond instead of the natural diamond she paid for, Mount Olive police said.

Earlier this year, Wentzel was arrested and charged after he sold a person three pieces of jewelry in which he misrepresented the authenticity of the precious gems and misrepresented the value of the jewelry, police said.

Wentzel's social media pages show that he runs Ice Storm Jewelry. A 2022 NJ Advance Media story shows him making a ring at his Flanders home.

The jeweler sold lab-grown diamonds as genuine diamonds and overvalued the worth and price of the jewelry by as much as $23,800, police said.