Tiffany & Co. is an American fine jewelry and specialty retailer. Long before Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe brought Tiffany to the silver screen, the name has been synonymous with luxury style and sophistication.

Founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young in New York as a stationery and “fancy goods” store. Tiffany, Young, and Ellis (as it was originally named) sold a wide variety of stationery items. In 1853, Charles Tiffany changed the name of the company to Tiffany & Co. and began concentrating on selling fine jewelry.

Over the years, Tiffany & Co. went through a number of changes, but the quality and cultural view of Tiffany items remained the same. It is the undying dedication to quality and luxury items that kept Tiffany & Co. culturally and socially relevant even during the times of internal hardships.

Today, Tiffany remains to be one of the most influential American fine jewelry designers in the world. Tiffany jewelry is highly collectable and thought after and is available in a variety of price ranges, styles, and precious metals.

Regardless of whether you are shopping for your first Tiffany piece or you are a seasoned collector we have created a guide to help you find and purchase the absolute best piece of Tiffany & Co. jewelry for the money.

BUYING PRE-OWNED

Buying pre-owned Tiffany is a great way to save some money. Pre-owned Tiffany jewelry with minimal wear looks great and will cost you less than brand new pieces. However, buying pre-owned comes with its own set of challenges.

As is the case with most other popular and fashionable luxury items, Tiffany suffers from being widely imitated. You have to be especially cautious when purchasing pre-owned Tiffany jewelry from a private party. In order to save yourself some time and headaches, follow these steps when buying Tiffany jewelry:

  1. Find a reputable retailer: buying pre-owned Tiffany jewelry from a retailer will save you a lot of research time and appraisal money. A reputable pre-owned jewelry retailer will never carry cheap or imitation jewelry or pressure you into a purchase. A reputable retailer will be able to answer any of your questions concerning the jewelry piece and its authenticity. Additionally, a reputable retailer will always have some sort of money back guarantee or a return policy.
  2. Beware of “it’s too good to be true” deals: if the price seems to low, the piece seems too new or unworn, or something feels off to you – walk away. Often time pre-owned Tiffany jewelry will show some signs of wear. Tiffany & Co. has a very generous return policy, so there is no reason that any of Tiffany piece couldn’t be returned for a full refund. Claims like “never been worn” and “I’m selling it because I couldn’t return it” should set off red flags.
  3. Always have all of your Tiffany purchases apprised. An appraisal process done by a professional will guarantee the authenticity of your piece and save you a long and lengthy process of getting your money back.

Real vs. Fake Tiffany

Although we highly recommend you appraise your jewelry before purchasing it, there are a few things you can do on your own to weed out some of the most obviously fake Tiffany pieces. If you hear / see any of the following, you should think twice before buying.

First and foremost, Tiffany is a U.S. company that produces jewelry in the United States. Occasionally some Tiffany pieces are produced in Italy, Spain, and Mexico, but those are very specific and there are only a few of them. So, someone tries to convince you that there is a Tiffany factory in China or Korea –run.

Second, Tiffany never goes on sale. Seriously. There is no way to purchase new Tiffany jewelry at discounted prices. If you see or hear someone tell you that they bought a piece of Tiffany jewelry on sale, it is probably fake or wasn’t new to begin with.

Third, Tiffany does not sell their jewelry at wholesale prices. The company would end up taking a tremendous loss on their product if they did.

Here is a list of the most obvious flaws in counterfeited Tiffany jewelry that you should watch out for:

  1. Chain links on the Tiffany tag bracelet and necklace are soldered together and appear smooth. In the links appear pinched, it is not a real Tiffany.
  2. Real Tiffany tag bracelets and necklaces are crafted from top quality silver and should feel heavy and “solid”. If the necklace or bracelet feels light or looks sloppy, it is likely a fake.
  3. Both the necklace / bracelet chain and the lobster clasp will be stamped 925 to indicate the grade of silver.
  4. Every Tiffany piece will have the Tiffany & Co. trademark and the metal mark on it. Some will have the logo and the date of trademark on them. Check Tiffany website to make sure that the piece of jewelry you are buying has all of the appropriate stamps.
  5. All of the engraving on the bracelet / necklace should be crisp and clear. If the engraving looks sloppy, is hard to read, or runs together, it is not a real Tiffany.

These are just some of the most obvious indicators that the Tiffany you are looking at is fake. Of course there are counterfeit pieces of Tiffany that are very well executed and are hard to pick out, which is why we always recommend that you make your Tiffany purchases at a reputable pre-owned Tiffany reseller or always get your purchase apprised by a professional.

Selling Your Tiffany

Regardless of what your reason are for selling your previously loved Tiffany jewelry is, we are here to help. Here at Ermitage Jewelers we buy, sell, and trade pre-owned Tiffany jewelry at competitive prices. We offer two convenient sale options:

  1. Come by our Atlanta location and talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff. We will be able to approve and process your sale in no time and you will be on your way, cash in hand before you know it.
  2. You can give us a call and one of our friendly staff will walk you through the process of selling your Tiffany to us through our website.

Ermitage Jewelers has more than thirty years of experience in fine jewelry. We have a large selection of pre-owned Tiffany as well as other fine jewelry designers for you to choose from. Stop by our convenient Atlanta location or shop through our online catalogue.