Woman suspects $8K diamond engagement ring of being fake, so she takes it to get appraised. Turns out she was right to doubt her ex-fiancé

Breaking off an engagement is hard. Finding out the ring may have been part of the lie package? Even harder.

One woman took TikTok along for the ride as she marched to a jewelry appraisal appointment. She always had a sinking suspicion about the “$8,000 lab-grown diamond” her ex-fiancé once hyped up so confidently was fake.

Funnily enough, he only started calling it moissanite after the breakup. Turns out, for once, the bitter ex was telling the truth. The cherry on top is when the appraisal came back at under $100. Naturally, the internet wasted absolutely no time turning into amateur gemologists, relationship detectives, and unlicensed ring critics all at once.

Why Did She Get Her Ring Appraised?

Before she even uploaded the reveal video, Erica (@__ericamerica) was already going viral with a previous clip where she did a “Get Ready With Me” clip for going to the jeweler. This gave all the backstory that had many of her 458,000 viewers asking her for an update.

Erica shares how she’s been wanting to get the ring appraised for a while now, but kept putting it off. She has two reasons why she is getting it appraised. First, if it is real, she could sell it. Second, she wants to find out if it is actually real. The latter has quite a back story as well. 

According to her ex-fiancé, about $8,000 was spent on the ring. However, Erica says they never got the certificate saying this was the case. Even when they had just gotten engaged and friends advised Erica to insure the ring, they couldn’t without the certificate.

Additionally, Erica says there were a couple of times when she noticed her finger had a bit of a greenish tint to it where her ring was. She chalked this up to her spray tanning. Lo and behold, Erica says that in one of the couple’s last interactions, the ex-fiancé screamed at her that the ring was moissanite and not a lab-grown diamond.

“So are you lying now, or were you lying then?” Erica asks the camera rhetorically.

Was the Ring Moissanite?

Erica says even if it was, she wouldn’t have minded.

“I just wanted a big ol’ rock on my hand,” she explains. However, her ex lying to her made it more frustrating.

Now she just wants to know if she’ll get any money out of it.

Hence, her next video. The clip showing her trip to the jeweler has over 400,000 views. She walks into the store and asks the attendant if they appraise and buy engagement rings. The employee replies that they do, depending on the ring. Most of the video shows part of Erica’s face as she talks to the employee, but there is a clip that shows the testing being conducted. Erica then asks the employee to show it to the camera.

The result? Moissanite.

How Much is the Ring Worth?

The appraisal lists the ring’s value at $65. First of all, moissanite is a lab-grown rock made of silicon carbide. It’s commonly used to substitute diamonds. It has a significantly lower price and carbon footprint. This is not to say it constitutes “cheap.”

Many couples buy a moissanite ring since it looks similar to a diamond. Even if they are man-made, Shopliviadiamonds reports that a moissanite engagement ring can cost “anywhere from $200-$3000 or more, depending on size and brand.”

So why was Erica’s engagement ring listed as $65 even if 100% moissanite? Laraci Ethical Fine Jewelers highlights the differences between cheap and quality-made moissanite. Cheaper moissanite is made with lower-quality silicon carbide, giving it a more cloudy and dull appearance. One viewer made this exact connection with Erica’s ring, saying, “Knew immediately by how cloudy it was that it was moissanite.”

It is entirely possible that Erica’s ex-fiancé simply bought the cheapest-made moissanite ring. 

@__ericamerica Replying to @Katrina Blount so it in fact was NOT REAL!! OK PERIOD!!!! #fyp #relatable #engagementring #cheater #engagementrings ♬ original sound – erica giles

Viewers React

First, viewers are indignant over how little the value is. “SIXTY FIVE DOLLARS IS [expletive] DIABOLICAL,” says one viewer. Another says, “As in a 6 an a 5.. together? No zeros?”

One viewer calls out the ex’s cheap move. “Oh not even the nice moissantie yikes,” they comment.

Some viewers even claim they know where he bought it. One viewer shares, “It’s off TikTok shop… I almost got it as my ;pregnancy ring’ because my hands are swollen.”

Another said, “He bought it on TikTok for so cheap.”

Lastly, one viewer shares, “I love a good quality moissanite. That’s what I chose for my engagement ring. That being said, that would be absurd for my husband to present it as something else.”

The Mary Sue reached out to the creator via email for comment.

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