Why Instagram permanently suspended me and how I got my account back.

March 5, 2024

I lived an Influencer’s nightmare: Instagram permanently suspended my account for false reasons and I thought @DiamondsintheLibrary was gone forever.

95,300 followers, 4,304 posts, 11 years of work, all lost in an instant.

I got very lucky and was able to restore my suspended Instagram in just three days, instead of the months it usually takes. Now, after weeks of trying, I finally managed to get on a phone call with Instagram and get some solid answers about what happened – and some advice about what to do if it happens again.

I’m going to share all the info at the end of this post, as a toolkit for anyone else who might need to fight a permanent Instagram suspension enacted for false reasons.

But first, I’m going to take a step back and walk you through the whole story.

Why Instagram permanently suspended my account - and how I got it back in three days!

Why Instagram permanently suspended me and how I got my account back.

Here’s what happened:

I was out of town with Mr. DitL for a romantic vacation in honor of our anniversary (14 years since our first date!). I tried to check my Instagram account during a quiet moment and nothing would load – I was still signed in, but my account looked like I had never posted and I couldn’t get new posts to load in my feed.

I hopped over to Threads, Instagram’s Twitter alternative, to see if other people were talking about an Instagram outage.

Instead of being able to see my Threads feed, I had a popup informing me that @DiamondsintheLibrary’s account was suspended.

The reason that Instagram gave for suspending my account was violation of the community guideline against impersonating a public figure.

Part 1: The Suspension

The reason given for my Instagram suspension was that I had allegedly violated the following Community Guideline:

“We don’t allow people on Instagram to pretend to be someone well-known, or speak for them without permission. Examples of things we don’t allow: Creating an account that looks like it belongs to a celebrity, using a photo of someone famous to deceive people, creating content that pretends to speak for a public figure, like a politician.”

I knew that I had not violated this rule. While I do appreciate Instagram calling me a “well-known figure,” I obviously cannot impersonate myself, because I am me.

I hoped my innocence meant that it would be easy to appeal the Instagram suspension, but I had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be that simple.

Instagram sent an email giving me the option to appeal my Instagram suspension.

Part 2: The Appeal

I had an email from Meta in my inbox, repeating what the popup had said about my Instagram suspension and linking to more information.

I was grateful that I had seen the popup first, or I would have assumed this email was a scam and deleted it (I get SO MANY sketchy emails like this from scammers saying my IG or FB is in trouble and that I need to click on a link to save my account). Don’t be fooled! Remember that if your Instagram or Facebook account ever is actually in trouble, you’ll have warnings in your app too.

Confident that the email was real, I clicked “Review Details” and read everything I could find about the Community Guideline I was accused of violating. Next, I went back to my Instagram app and tapped the “Appeal” button.

I assumed that the appeal would give me a chance to make my case, but no such luck. The app generated a series of codes that I had to enter in various ways…and that was it. I received an email telling me I’d have the results of my appeal within a day.

It was only a couple of hours later that I received the news that Instagram had rejected my appeal. My Instagram account suspension was now permanent.

It was over. Diamonds in the Library was dead.

Why my Instagram permanently suspended my account and how I got it back in three days. This is the email confirming making my suspension permanent.

My hands shook. I couldn’t think. How could this be happening??

My Instagram account – the centerpiece of my career – was gone. Permanently disabled for violating a rule I had not violated. My only appeal had been rejected and there was no guidance for what to do next.

My first Fellows jewelry auction.

November 3, 2022

I have a confession for you, my darlings: I’ve never bought jewelry from an auction house. Shocking, I know. But it’s true! I find auctions intimidating and I’ve never managed to push through the fear…until now.

I’ve partnered with my friends at Fellows in England to have my very first jewelry auction experience and share it with you here so that we can all become auction aficionados together!

Three antique rings recently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

My first Fellows jewelry auction.

You might associate jewelry auctions with either eBay tchotchkes or very very very expensive museum pieces, but that’s a misconception. A huge number of the lots in the Fellows jewelry auction I’m currently browsing have starting bids under £100 and auction estimates under £500.

Yes, it’s in GBP, not dollars. Don’t get scared! We can do this! Current exchange rates mean that the dollar and the pound are very close in value. Use any online currency converter to be sure you have your numbers straight.

The exchange rate is a big part of why we’re talking about this today: do you know how rare it is for the dollar and the pound to be this close?? We Americans have to snap up that sweet across-the-pond jewelry while the currency is in our favor.

Beautiful vintage and antique pendants and a ring listed in recent Fellows jewelry auctions.

Why would I want to buy jewelry at auction?

Auctions are an opportunity to score great jewelry at good prices because it’s a purchase point close to the beginning of the retail food chain. Most jewelry stores source jewelry from dealers, who acquire their jewelry from collectors, other dealers, or auctions.

Each time a piece changes hands in this process, its price goes up. When you buy from an auction house instead of from a retail store, you skip two whole stages and therefore two levels of price increase.

Auction houses also have quality control procedures in place that simply don’t exist in more casual jewelry buying situations. Every piece in a Fellows jewelry auction has been evaluated and authenticated by Fellows’ in-house jewelry specialists.

A late Victorian 9ct gold portrait miniature locket pendantrecently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How does bidding work?

The key mechanics of auctions are the same everywhere: bidders say how much they’re willing to pay for an item and the person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item. Don’t forget that once you win an item in a jewelry auction, you’re obligated to buy it for that amount; a bid is a binding promise.

To place a bid, simply scroll to the item’s listing in the current Fellows jewelry auction, type the amount you’d like to bid, and click “place bid.” If someone outbids you, you’ll receive an email notification and then you can decide if you want to add a higher bid or accept defeat.

If someone places a bid within the last 30 seconds of a Fellows auction, the auction will extend the bidding time for that item by an additional 30 seconds so that anyone who wants to place a higher bid may do so.

A late 19th century 15K gold turquoise double heart brooch sold in a jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How do I know what I’m buying?

Every listing in a Fellows jewelry auction includes the key information about the item for sale, as well as photos. If you want more, you can contact Fellows to request more images or a set up virtual viewing.

A virtual viewing allows you to have a one-on-one Zoom meeting with a Fellows specialist to discuss and view any of the items in the auction that interest you. It’s basically free personal shopping. The Fellows auction specialist can also help explain the buying process to you, if you are a first-timer like me.

If you get confused by any of the terms in the listing, the handy Fellows Auction Terms Glossary is there to help.

Don’t auctions have hidden fees?

Auctions do have fees, but at a reputable auction house like Fellows, none of those fees are hidden. The vast majority of Fellows jewelry lots ship for free, and the ones that don’t offer free shipping are clearly marked.

If you win something in a Fellows jewelry auction, you’ll pay the amount of your bid (called the “hammer price”) plus a Buyer’s Premium, which is 30% of the bid. You can use the Fellows Bid Calculator to calculate the final price of your purchase at any time.

Now that we’ve discussed why one would want to bid in a Fellows jewelry auction and assuaged our fears, it’s time to get in there!

A midcentury vintage diamond cocktail watch sold in a recent Fellows jewelry auction.

How do I register to bid in a Fellows jewelry auction?

Signing up through the Fellows website is very straightforward. You enter your name, address, basic contact info, password, everything you would expect. I was happy to see that the registration form offers both “nonbinary” and “prefer not to say” as options for the gender field. Yay, inclusivity!

That gets you an account, but there’s one more step before you can place a bid: you have to verify your name and address through Fellows’ Identity Checker. I uploaded a photo of my Driver’s License, allowed the Identity Checker temporary access to my webcam to confirm that my face matched the image I uploaded, and I was in!

(Pro tip: the Identity Checker was initially confused because I was too far away from my webcam. I had to get close enough to the camera for my face to be the same size as it was in the Driver’s License photo I uploaded before it approved me.)

Lot 192 – yellow sapphire and diamond cluster ring.
Lot 946 – 18k gold and sapphire rainbow hoop earrings.
Lot 349 – late 19th century gold old-cut diamond cluster ring, with vari-cut diamond shoulders.
Lot 365 – early 20th century split pearl and amethyst pendant.
Lot 448 – onyx and diamond earrings.
Lot 884 – late Victorian gold ring with floral motif, circa 1887.
Lot 571 – early 20th century gold scarab beetle and garnet pendant on a gold fancy-link chain.
Lot 854 – rose cut diamond and garnet ring.
Lot 728 – midcentury gold, ruby, and cultured pearl clip earrings.
Lot 1 – early 20th century gold and enamel cat ring, with diamond eyes.
Lot 785 – old-cut diamond and cultured pearl dress ring with rose-cut diamond shoulders.
Lot 462 – early 20th century gold split pearl foliate brooch.
Lot 479 – diamond cluster ring.
Lot 255 – turquoise and diamond cluster ring.
Lot 526 – early 20th century peridot and split pearl pendant.
Lot 641 – emerald and split pearl earrings.
Lot 763 – floral diamond ring
Lot 512 – ruby floral cluster earrings.
Lot 732 – garnet and red gem cluster ring.
Lot 751 – early 20th century Russian Art Nouveau old-cut diamond and demantoid garnet floral pendant.
Lot 323 – Citrine ring.
Lot 2 – early 20th century gold pique tortoiseshell earrings.
Lot 604 – flower ring with rose-cut diamond accents
Lot 897 – sapphire, emerald and pearl earrings.
Lot 541 – early 20th century 9ct gold cube charm,
Lot 343 – early 20th century 18k gold rose-cut diamond and enamel stud earrings.
Lot 289 – early 20th century 18k gold old-cut diamond ring.
Lot 269 – early 20th century gold turquoise and split pearl heart pendant.

Here’s a peek at my own Fellows wishlist!! This slideshow is all of the lots I’m considering bidding on in the current auction. It’s an epic two day jewelry sale that just opened yesterday. Day 1 of the sale ends November 8th, Day 2 on November 9th, so go take a look right now!

Click here for Day 1 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November 8th, 2022)
Click here for Day 2 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November 9th, 2022)

What do you think, my darlings? Are you comfortable bidding in jewelry auctions, or is it new to you too? Do you have any advice for me on my auction journey? Have you ever bought anything from Fellows?

This sponsored post is brought to you by Fellows. All images c/o Fellows.

LuxeRox wants to send you museum-quality mineral specimens.

October 27, 2022

If you’re here, you probably love pretty rocks as much as I do. Most of the time my DitL posts focus on rocks that you can wear, but today we’re shifting focus to gorgeous display mineral specimens!

LuxeRox is a new luxury mineral subscription service that sends rock-lovers like us gorgeous display-ready minerals on a monthly basis. Oh yes, you head me correctly.

LuxeRox will send you display-ready crystal, fossil, and mineral specimins

LuxeRox wants to send you museum-quality mineral specimens.

Each LuxeRox package arrives in a sleek black box emblazoned with the LuxeRox logo and contains one museum-quality mineral specimen in a custom LuxeRox velvet pouch. As you unwrap the package, you’ll also find a LuxeRox Lucite mineral stand and an informational card telling you exactly what your mineral is, where it was mined, and what its symbolic meanings and associations are.

All you have to do is take the rock out of its pouch, admire its beauty, place it on its stand, and then decide where in your house your gorgeous new treasure is going to live.

The subscription is monthly, so that’s a new specimen arriving at your door every few weeks!

Every LuxeRox mineral specimen arrives with its own lucite stand, so they're ready for display.

It’s a thrilling moment, reaching your hand into that velvet bag to retrieve your new crystal, fossil, or mineral.

I speak from firsthand experience, because LuxeRox was kind enough to send me a mineral specimen of my own so that I could test drive their program for you! I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous piece of Velveteen Malachite, that was mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s a stone of transformation and it’s sitting on a bookshelf right by my left shoulder as I write this.

Hop over to my Instagram (link here) to see me unboxing my LuxeRox malachite.

If you also think this sounds like pretty much the coolest thing ever, I have good news for you: LuxeRox has been kind enough to offer a free gift for Diamonds in the Library readers!! Enter the code “diamondsinthelibrary” in the gift message field when signing up for a 3 month or 6 month LuxeRox subscription to get a free LuxeRox Mineral-infused soy candle (a $30 value). Your candle will ship separately from your minerals.

The code expires on Wednesday, November 23, so don’t wait! And yes: this would be an utterly fantastic holiday gift for the jewelry lover in your life.