If you are planning to buy jewelry from Tiffany and you just want to be sure that the piece of Tiffany jewelry you are buying is authentic or not, the first thing you’d want to look out for is the authenticity stamp.
But what happens when the jewelry lacks the authenticity stamp? Should you still trust it?
Is the Tiffany stamp missing from some of the Tiffany jewelry?
Read on!
Is all Tiffany jewelry stamped?
Yes, all pieces of jewelry by Tiffany will have the Tiffany & Co hallmarks stamped on them. But not just this, but also the specifics of the metal’s percentage purity. So, if the jewelry is sold as Tiffany’s but lacks this stamp, it is not a genuine piece.
Watch the video below! You will see the clear stamps on Tiffany jewelry!
One caveat, though – not all of the Tiffany-branded pieces of jewelry are authentic pieces by Tiffany’s. Scam artists have picked on this, and there are many fake Tiffany & Co. pieces of jewelry all over the world markets.
What this means is that you have to be extra careful when shopping. Ideally, the genuine piece of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. will be perfectly aligned and engraved, and the stamp is clearly visible in a show of expert craftsmanship, meaning if you come across a piece of Tiffany’s jewelry whose engraving is not deep enough or if it doesn’t have clear lines or if the engraving looks crooked or smudged, then that jewelry is quite possibly fake.
Tips on how to Authenticate Tiffany Jewelry
To avoid the risk of buying fake Tiffany jewelry, here are some of the things you could do to authenticate your Tiffany jewelry as genuine pieces.
Keep in mind that this globally recognized brand that is known for its legacy around the manufacture of masterpieces is also the brand with the biggest number of counterfeiters.
In other words, a white gold plated jewelry or a rose gold piece could have the Tiffany name stamped on it, and if you are not careful, it will pass for the real thing. So, how do you authenticate your Tiffany Jewelry?
Although it isn’t easy, and you need to have an eye for detail, there are things that can tell you that the jewelry pieces in question are genuine or not.
Here are the things you need to look out for:
1. Stamps
Every piece of authentic Tiffany jewelry is stamped with the Tiffany & Co mark, as well as the metal’s purity percentage mark. But the fakes could easily be stamped too?
Well, yes, but for the genuine Tiffany jewelry, the stamp and/or the logo incorporated is very perfectly engraved on the jewelry, and the marks are all in perfect alignment – always centered, sharp, and legible; not blurred or in any way difficult to read, misaligned, or seemingly smudged.
In addition to the brand name, the other thing that stands out from Tiffany jewelry, specifically the pieces made of Sterling Silver, is the fact that these pieces of jewelry will feature the ‘Sterling’ or the ‘925’ stamp on them.
So, if you don’t see this stamp on your new favorite Tiffany’s bracelet, it means that the piece is fake – this is also the case if the stamp looks off-center or smudged.
2. Soldering on the links
For Tiffany jewelry with chains, you should check out the links. What you need to know about Tiffany’s links is that the links are usually soldered continuously, and there are absolutely no breaks or spaces between the links.
In other words, the links cannot be separated, and they are also very smooth and precise, which would make it almost impossible for you to know where the links start or end. So, if you can see breaks and if the links are broken, then that piece of jewelry is a fake.
3. Font & Font Alignment
The other thing you could look at when checking the authenticity of your stamped Tiffany jewelry is the actual font used.
It is not enough to notice that the jewelry comes with a perfectly legible stamp; you also need to check the font used. To be able to differentiate their authentic jewelry from the fakes, Tiffany has taken things a notch higher by using unique fonts.
So, the other thing you need to look out for is the numbers engraved – are they in perfect alignment, in a straight line? In most cases, the fakes will have thinner numbers, not in perfect alignment with each other.
Regarding the genuine stamps on the genuine jewelry, you will notice that the pieces of modern jewelry by this company will have the full name stamped on them, meaning that you should be looking for the full Tiffany & Co. with uppercase T and C.
On top of this, the brand might also have some of their pieces stamped in full caps as TIFFANY & CO., or in other cases, a gold piece of jewelry by the brand will have the ‘TIFFANY 18K’ stamp on them.
Note, however, that the use of uppercase brand marks on Tiffany jewelry is more common with the genuine pieces of vintage Tiffany jewelry.
The other thing you should know is that if the jewelry features all uniform letters, then there is a high possibility that you could be looking at a fake piece.
Authentic pieces of jewelry will have perfectly aligned 1837 and T&CO stamps.
4. PLEASE RETURN TO –Stamp
Tiffany & Co has gone to great lengths to ensure that they offer only the best jewelry and also to make sure that their customers are not duped, as seen in this unique stamp.
To make sure that the jewelry you buy under the brand name is genuine, they have included a ‘PLEASE RETURN TO’ most of the stamps they use in this regard have the PLEASERETURNTO stamp, with no spaces between the words. So, you should watch out for this as well.
5. Metal Content
This is the other important factor to bear in mind when looking for genuine pieces of Tiffany’s jewelry. Essentially, authentic pieces of Tiffany Jewelry will have a stamp that features the purity details of the jewelry, and that silver bracelet must have the 925 or the Sterling mark on it to represent its purity level.
It’s also worth noting that the Sterling stamp is more common with the vintage Tiffany pieces of jewelry, and it also means that the jewelry you are considering feels heavier than the modern pieces of Tiffany’s jewelry.
A lightweight vintage Tiffany sterling silver piece of jewelry isn’t a genuine piece. Like the brand name, the details of the metal content should also be legible and in alignment.
Also, if you are looking at the 925 stamps, for instance, you should know that the stamp doesn’t follow the jewelry’s contours.
6. Durability and signs of wear and tear
If the sterling silver jewelry is actually an authentic piece by Tiffany, it will have a solid silver color, and even after years, it will always maintain its silver color in most parts.
Authentic pieces do not show any colors underneath, and the jewelry piece won’t look like it’s flaking off, as a silver-plated piece would. So, if you notice a color change, say a tinge of yellow, the piece of jewelry is a fake.
Conclusion
To determine the authenticity of your pieces of jewelry by Tiffany & Co., look out for the indicating marks above. Read more fashion jewelry brands here or here!
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.