How to spot fake Return to Tiffany jewelry

I had to go through several negative transactions (I got my money back on all of them) before I found an AUTHENTIC Tiffany piece. Here is what I know about "return to tiffany"sterling silver charm bracelets and toggle necklaces. For visual aids, I will actually be using the items listed for sale to the right of this guide! They change all the time, but it doesn't matter, fake is fake, no matter what.

1. Tiffany NEVER goes on sale, and they DON'T have a wholesale distributor, and you can't get things at "cost". Therefore, when you see a seller with NUMEROUS Tiffany items, BEWARE!! There is a blog written by Tiffany & Co. on ebay, letting people know what to expect from Tiffany jewelry. Go to advanced search, click on "Find member" and type in the username Tiffanytrademark2. This info is the real deal, so please read it!

7/29/07 - Today I got an email from a girl who had bought a bracelet and asked me, too late, to check it out for her. I did, and the bracelet is a fake. I went ahead and checked the seller's feedback and checked out former listings. She'd recently sold another Tiffany bracelet that she claimed her husband bought from a "Tiffany Wholesaler." No such animal exists! I had to tell this poor girl she'd bought a fake. PLEASE, PLEASE RESEARCH YOUR SELLER'S FEEDBACK!

2. The links on any tiffany bracelet or necklace are NOT pinched together, they are soldered together and totally smooth. You can't tell where the link begins or ends.

3. The lobster clasp on a Tiffany bracelet or necklace will show EXCELLENT workmanship, if it looks like it's a cheapie, it's not Tiffany. In fact, the entire piece should be heavy and feel SOLID in your hand. Also, here's a little secret, the lobster clasp will ALSO be stamped 925, at the base of the clasp.

4. EVERY Tiffany piece is stamped with the Tiffany & Co. mark and the metal mark (e.g. Tiffany & Co. 925, or T & Co. 925) Many pieces are stamped with the date the piece was trademarked, the Tiffany logo, and the metal content, in that order (e.g. 2001 Tiffany & Co. 925). The pieces by artists such as Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, Frank Gehry etc, will be signed as well as stamped. When buying a piece that has a chain and pendant (e.g. the Tiffany bar pendant) BOTH the pendant AND the chain will be marked Tiffany & Co 925. If the chain is marked but not the pendant, then that pendant IS NOT Tiffany!

5. Tiffany tag bracelets and necklaces are made of .925 sterling silver, and are heavy, if your jewelry feels light in comparison to it's size, beware. Also, Tiffany sterling jewelry will photograph dark silver and even gold colored sometimes, not pure silver or silver-white. There are alot of people out there selling fake Tiffany that's been coated with Rhodium, which gives it a whitish appearance.

For instance, look over to the right of this guide, that's right, take a look. See the items that look overly shiny and have lettering that looks WHITE? Those are what you want to avoid. The lettering on a real piece of Tiffany will look dark, this is an absolute fact.

6. The tiffany toggle necklace is 16 inches long. The dog tag necklace and the heart tag necklace are both 15.5 inches long, they both fasten in the front and they ARE engraved with "please return to tiffany."

7. The tiffany round charm bracelet with the "please return to tiffany" is 7.5 inches long, and fastens next to the charm with a lobster clasp. In other words, the charm is on the same side as the lobster clasp.

8. The heart charm on the toggle necklaces is NEVER engraved with "return to tiffany", Tiffany doesn't make an engraved charm toggle necklace. Only the "lifesaver" part of the necklace is engraved with "tiffany & co". If the charm on your toggle necklace says "please return to tiffany" IT'S NOT TIFFANY AND THEY WON'T WANT IT BACK!! See all those toggle necklaces and "sets" that are engraved over there on the right? FAKE!! I am always happy to look at an auction or two for you, but PLEASE do not email me asking me to look at an engraved toggle set, it's just a waste of time, they are ALL fake.

9. The Tiffany round tag necklace is fastened in the BACK, as is the oval dogtag bracelet, and they are engraved with "please return to tiffany". Only the heart toggle necklace, heart tag necklace and the oval dogtag necklace are fastened in the front.

10. The engraving on your return to tiffany bracelet should be completely and totally sharp and clear to read. If it's unclear or looks sub-par, (ALL TOGETHER NOW)... IT'S NOT TIFFANY!!

11. This is my best advise: If your not certain, check the tiffany.com website, compare what the person is selling to what's on the website! Does it look the same? You will save yourself alot of doubt, worry and money if you just take the time to go to the website. It's very easy to navigate and you can see closeups of the items.

12. Make sure the photo is of the actual item, don't be fooled by a photo lifted from the Tiffany website.

13. There are many items engraved with "please return to tiffany", and you will need to go to www. tiffany.com to check what you see on ebay against the real deal. Go to "collections" at the top of the page and click on "return to tiffany."

14. Be suspicious of any seller who states in their auction that they don't want questions about the authenticity of their item. Any decent seller who wants to make a sale will welcome questions. If their auction tells you not to ask questions, they probably have something to hide. Make sure there are closeups of the item. If not, ask for closeup photos to be sent to you.

15. ALWAYS check a sellers feedback! Don't simply check their feedback number, but look for past buyers who may have also bought Tiffany jewelry from them recently. CHECK OUT PREVIOUS LISTINGS! Today I JUST found a seller who had what looked to be an authentic Tiffany toggle necklace & bracelet set, with a fairly decent story as to why she had these items, so I checked out past items they'd sold. GUESS WHAT? They've sold at least three identical sets in the past month!! Now what are the odds of someone having THREE sets of brand new, never worn Tiffany jewelry? Right.

16. Be suspicious of someone saying they got the item but it's just not their style, the recipient already had one, their girlfriend broke up with them, etc. Tiffany has a generous return policy that allows returns for items purchased within the past 30 days of the receipt. Also, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER buy Tiffany jewlery from someone who keeps their feedback private!! That's a HUGE red flag that they're selling fakes and don't want people, like me, to warn their bidders that the item is fake! (Which I do, when I have time).

17. I am personally VERY leery of people who sell necklace and bracelet sets. People who have authentic items like that will break up the set and sell them separately, to make more money. If the set or their feedback looks shady, it's HIGHLY likely that they've combined a fake set to draw more attention and bidders. In all my time of researching tiffany jewelry on ebay, I've NEVER come across an authentic set. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that it's very unlikely.

18. In regards to the "double heart" necklaces I've seen floating out there, be aware that the hearts should NOT BE CURVED in any way, but should be shaped JUST like the hearts on Tiffany's tag necklace and bracelet. ONLY THE LARGER, BOTTOM HEART IS ENGRAVED with Tiffany & Co. The top heart is BLANK! Also, the hearts hang at an angle from the chain, if you're looking at the necklace, the chain should go through the LEFT side of the heart. The fake one's have the chain going through the top of the hearts. Don't fall for those necklaces that have both hearts engraved, or that have "curved" hearts, those AREN'T TIFFANY!!

19. If you got to this guide too late and are a victim of somebody selling fake Tiffany jewelry, go to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index_4.html?tier0=report_listing.js&item=190134326682 and file a claim with ebay.

20. As far as those other tiffany websites out there, they are all FAKE. The only true Tiffany site is www. tiffany.com. If the website is called ANYTHING else, it's a fake. Don't fall into the mindset that if they have a website, they must be real, they're not. I made the same mistake when I first started out, and I got my money back. I had to work very hard to get it back, make alot of threats and be very persistent. If you've fallen into the same trap, tell that website that you'll turn them in to Tiffany if they don't refund your money. Those little websites don't want a giant like Tiffany to sue them, and that generally works.

The bottom line is Tiffany is a maker of FINE jewelry, and they would never let anything sub-par out of their store rooms. Don't be fooled by people from other countries saying they have a "friend" who gets them Tiffany stuff for cheap, it can't be done. Your best bet is to buy from someone who can tell you the store they bought the item at. The only way to get Tiffany jewelry is to buy it in the stores, the Tiffany website, or buy it from someone who bought it in a store. I know this is alot of information to take in, so please feel free to email me and I'll be happy to check out an auction for you and tell you what I think.

Of course, by buying it from somebody else will often mean buying a used (pre-loved) piece of Tiffany jewelry, which is fine! When you think about it, why would somebody sell a brand new, never worn piece of Tiffany jewelry for MUCH LESS than they paid for it at the store or website? The answer is, they wouldn't. If somebody has brand new Tiffany jewelry for sale, beware, it might possibly be a scam. I have purchased five pieces of Tiffany jewelry (all authentic) that were used, and they were in great shape! All it takes is a silver polishing cloth and some elbow grease to get a used piece back to it's original state.

9/19/07 - I FOUND A GREAT SELLER WHO DEALS IN "PRE-LOVED TIFFANY & CO. JEWELRY!! Her user id is 30plus20, and she ROCKS! I recently bought the wide sterling cuff bracelet from Tiffany's 1837 collection for $200, and it retails for $425. She is a completely ethical seller and I told her I would give her a mention in my guide. I thoroughly endorse her, check her stuff out!

Hope this helped! If it did, please click "yes"!

Yvonne

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