Tiffany & Co. Denies Having Ever Manufactured Slave Collars.

A now viral Facebook post is at the center of a controversy that causing many folks to rethink any future jewelry purchases.

Charles Jenkins shared the above image on his Facebook page. Jenkins explained that his sister originally sent it to him during a visit to the Lest We Forget Black Holocaust Museum of Slavery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the display, Tiffany & Co. once crafted slave collars and the original design is still used today in some of their products. Jenkins’ post has accumulated over 30,000 shares, and a slew of comments, many vowing to boycott the famed jewelry company.

The controversy prompted Tiffany & Co. to release a statement via social media.

“We are deeply troubled by the image circulating of a “slave collar” and can definitively assure you that this piece was not made by Tiffany, nor have we ever made any jewelry in our 179 year history for this deplorable purpose,” the statement reads, in part. According to the post, Lest We Forget also agreed to remove any references to Tiffany & Co. in the display in question.