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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
Rosalind Adams

Diamonds for sale: lab-grown gem auctions are all over TikTok right now, but some aren’t happy about it

a composite image showing a closeup of a heart-shaped diamond on the left, and a woman holding multiple lab grown diamond packages on the right
Marie Ann Altuve (left) and Andrea Greenhill (right) show off lab-grown diamonds in TikTok videos. Composite: Marie Ann Altuve, Andrea Greenhill/TikTok

The first time Andrea Greenhill came across a livestream auction for lab-grown diamonds while scrolling on TikTok, she was stunned. While the diamond engagement ring her husband proposed with years ago had cost thousands of dollars, these loose lab-grown diamonds were selling in seconds at a fraction of the price.

“I have two rings that are both natural diamonds and cost a fortune,” she said. I saw the prices they were going for in the auctions, and I was like, “This is insanity.’”

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