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

Streamed auctions offer a cheap way to buy the precious gems, but experts warn that quality is not guaranteed

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.'"