Tiffany is one of the most copied names in jewelry, and the hallmark is where most copies fall down. Not because the counterfeiters do not know what it should say, but because striking a clean, correctly proportioned stamp is genuinely difficult and doing it badly is cheap.
Find the mark.
Rings
- Where to look
- Inside the band
Chains and bracelets
- Where to look
- On the clasp, or a small tag beside it
Pendants
- Where to look
- On the back, or around the bail
Earrings
- Where to look
- On the post or the back of the clip
Cuffs and bangles
- Where to look
- Inside, usually near the opening
What each version means.
TIFFANY & CO.
- What it tells you
- The standard full house mark. What you will see most often.
T&CO.
- What it tells you
- Abbreviated, used where the full mark will not fit. Legitimate.
TIFFANY & CO. followed by a year
- What it tells you
- Some collections carry a design or copyright year. It dates the design, not necessarily your piece.
PLEASE RETURN TO TIFFANY & CO.
- What it tells you
- The Return To collection. Widely copied, so look hard at the stamp quality here.
The metal stamp has to agree.
925 or STERLING
- Metal
- Sterling silver, 92.5% pure
PT950 or PLAT
- Metal
- Platinum, 95% pure
750 or 18K
- Metal
- 18 karat gold, 75% pure
585 or 14K
- Metal
- 14 karat gold, 58.5% pure
The stamp is a claim, not a fact. We test the metal rather than reading it off the mark, and a mismatch between the two is one of the clearest signs a piece is not what it says it is.
Designer signatures.
Tiffany has worked with a small number of named designers, and their pieces carry their name alongside the house mark. This matters commercially, because signed designs consistently resell better than unsigned ones from the same era in the same metal.
- ELSA PERETTI
- PALOMA PICASSO
- JEAN SCHLUMBERGER
- FRANK GEHRY
A design that should carry a signature and does not is a problem. If you have an Open Heart or a Bone Cuff with no Peretti mark, that is worth investigating before you do anything else.
What separates real from copied.
- Depth is even across the whole mark. Copies are often shallow at one end and deeper at the other.
- Letterforms are correct and consistent. Look at the ampersand and the spacing around it, which copies frequently get subtly wrong.
- Spacing is even. Crowded or stretched lettering is a common tell.
- The mark sits square to the piece rather than at a slight angle.
- Edges are crisp. A mushy or rounded stamp usually means it was cast in rather than struck.
Honestly.
The blue box carries a retail markup that does not survive resale, which is bad news once and good news every time after. Buying Tiffany second hand is where the value is, because the piece and the hallmark are identical and only the price has changed.
On the sell side, expect the designer lines to do considerably better than plain sterling. Bring it in and we will tell you which you are holding, free and with no obligation.