BACKGROUND

On August 5, 2020, Blakely Neiman Thornton initiated a statement of work through his company, CIVIL Jewelry, to repurpose a diamond wedding ring that was passed onto me by my 1st generation immigrant mother, who died of terminal cancer in 2018. The scope of work included repurposing this ring, along with other smaller jewelry pieces, (total estimated value: $9,400) into meaningful heirloom pieces that I could pass onto my daughters. The statement of work required a $7,000 deposit due at the signing and a final payment of $3,000 when the work was completed.

As of the publication of this website, Thornton did not complete the scope of work as contracted. On September 15, 2022, Thornton promised by email to offer a full refund of the $7,000 deposit “if we miss the date again I will provide you with a full refund along with the pieces.” Additionally, Thornton noted, “You've been so great to me and I truly regret being a source of frustration.” Due to several failures to deliver the repurposed pieces, Thornton confirmed the following via email:

“I know that I have missed the deadline, so please send me your banking information so I can have your refund processed as well. I believe the full refund will be $7000 as we provided a discount for missing a deadline at the beginning of 2021.”

On December 11, 2022, I met with Thornton in-person to collect my mother’s ring and was promised the final deliverables and refund. My mother’s ring was missing 2 diamonds, which were supposed to repurposed into diamond earring studs, when it was returned. (At a later point, I sought out a certified gemologist and learned that the diamonds were likely damaged at extraction, and this was likely the reason why this project could not be completed.)

Between December 19, 2022 to February 9, 2023, Thornton failed to deliver the final deliverables and refund on 12/27/2022, 1/9/2023, 1/11/2023, 1/25/2023, 2/6/2023 and 2/9/2023. During this period, Thornton wired $50 as part of the refund even though he made repeated promises to refund the full deposit.

On February 9, 2023, I sent Thornton an email communication to inform him of my plans to get a lawyer involved. Since then, Thornton has ignored and dismissed email communications both from myself and my lawyer.

So, this is a desperate and public plea to Blakely Neiman Thornton, who once told me about how much he valued the story behind this legacy project. I am in need of the refund to complete this project.

Direct Request to Blakely

Blakely, I am desperate to close out this contract and receive the refund, which I need to complete this project that is incredibly important to my family. I put my faith and trust into you because of your sister, Taylor A. Thornton, who we considered a family friend and trusted ally. I am truly heartbroken by this entire experience. I would love to hear from directly from you or your lawyer or representative. At this point, I can be contacted through my lawyer and representative, Mark Stapke at mstapke@stapkelaw.com.

BACKGROUND

“I know that I have missed the deadline, so please send me your banking information so I can have your refund processed as well. I believe the full refund will be $7000 as we provided a discount for missing a deadline at the beginning of 2021.”

Direct Request to Blakely

Signed,

A Desperate Client of Blakely Thornton’s

Public Plea to Blakely Neiman Thornton