The Ring Mint Journal

Notes from the bench.

Jewelry news, diamond and gemstone guides, and plain-spoken buying guides, written by Chloe Alpert, a second-generation jeweler in the trade since 2009. Plain answers, no sales pitch.

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Jewelry News

What is happening in the trade, and what it means for the person actually buying a ring.

Gold line drawings of cut diamonds on a dark background

Jewelry News ·

Are the diamonds in TikTok live auctions real?

Almost always, yes. A jeweler on what $100-per-carat actually buys: fluorescence, bad cuts, and why a 30-second auction hides both.

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Diamonds & Gemstones

Grading, sourcing, lab versus natural, colored stones: the things a jeweler knows and a search result usually gets wrong.

Headline over a close-up of a blue stone tilted to reveal its coating: We bought 50 lab diamonds on eBay. Not one was a diamond.

Diamonds & Gemstones ·

Blowing the whistle on fake lab diamonds on eBay

We bought 50+ "lab diamonds" from 20+ eBay sellers. Every one was moissanite, most with a coating we polished off. How the fakes work.

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Buying Guides

Costs, timelines, what to ask, and how to compare your options: the practical questions to settle before you buy a ring.

The first buying guide is on its way. In the meantime, the FAQ answers the twenty-six questions clients ask most.

Have a question?

If there is something you want a straight answer on, whether a stone, a setting, or a price you were quoted, email Chloe and it may become the next post.