Ebay Authenticity Question

[westjenn]

Hope this is the right forum! I am regretting a purchase I made yesterday and need opinions please! I bought a T&Co Ring on Ebay, have bought other T&Co pieces on Ebay, but not with a certification like this one. This listing did not state that the diamond was laser inscribed and the T&CO Diamond certificate does not state this either.
I emailed the seller but didn't get a response on the laser inscription. At the same time I was also talking to another Ebay seller about a similar ring that they had and I told him via email today that I had found a deal and jumped on it. That other seller said "please make sure the diamond is laser inscribed".

I called my seller this morning and he said that it is not laser inscribed and went on to tell me that laser inscription doesn't really mean much to him and he could inscribe his name on a diamond if he wanted to. And if I want to, go ahead and cancel the transaction.

Well, I can't cancel the transaction because I've already paid. After I got off the phone with him, maybe 30 minutes later I get a "shipment" notification from Ebay! Was this auto generated? He couldn't possibly have printed out a label and got this all set AFTER we talked?
I have sent him emails asking him to cancel the transaction and to please refund me in PayPal- that I cannot do anything on my end. I called both Ebay and PayPal to see if there's anything I can do and there's not.. I just have to wait. He has 10 days to refund me my money..

I realize this was very impulsive.. I thought I was getting a great deal. Is it possible that I'm being paranoid and overreacting? Or is it very possible that the diamond in this ring was swapped out?

 

[westjenn]

A couple quick things-- can I add the listing here if it's helpful? Also, the T&CO valuation report was dated February 2004, is it possible they didn't do laser inscription at the time?

 

[ringo865]

Note that only since November 2004, has Tiffany been inscribing on a crown facet (not on the girdle). Since this ring was made prior to November 2004, the diamond wouldn't necessarily have an inscription. Is the carat weight of the diamond stamped inside the band?

Every ring should be stamped Tiffany & Co. Pt950 or Tiffany & Co. 750 Pt 950. Occasionally a very old ring might be stamped Tiffany & Co Pt900 IRID or just T & Co. The signature might be worn and depending on the age the letter might look slightly different. The Tiffany & Co. 750 Pt 950 ring has an older version of the signature. Notice how the font is slightly different to the newer Tiffany & Co. Pt950

In around 2000 Tiffany & Co. started placing serial numbers on their rings. In the early days they began with a letter, later on an eight digit number began to be used.

If a ring was purchased in the UK it will feature UK hallmarks. These are very small embossed stamps which help authenticate the piece. The assay office who carry out all UK hallmarking will only stamp items with the T & Co. maker's mark is they actually come from Tiffany & Co!

Certificates are sometimes available with second hand Tiffany & Co. engagement rings. The certificate will either come in a Tiffany blue paper wallet or a black leather look wallet. The certificate itself used to be laminated, but now is not. The certificate details the principal diamond/s in the ring. It contains all the information about the cut, color and clarity as well as precise measurements which basically amount to a diamond passport. No two diamonds in the world are the same and no two diamond certificates are either. The certificate should have a raised stamp. The newer (blue wallet) certificates feature a watermark in the center of the page.

 

[Gem Queen]

Did you, by chance, use an American Express card? If you did, call them. They are great with things like this.
Another thing, ask for the Tiffany ID number. When you get it, Call Tiffany and have them look up the item to see if it was inscribed or any other information on it. If it was American Express, or another credit card company, call them and see what your options are. BUT HURRY.
I also think that He just printed up the postage so that, maybe, it would enable you to cancel the item

 

[Gem Queen]

Ringo865, you're so knowledgable about this. That is great. I just learned something. I have to say, I don't buy Tiffany or Cartier, but it is great information!

 

[ruby59]

On ebay you have buyer protection

.http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html

If you find that the diamond is not Tiffany's just file SNAD, (significantly not as described). You have 30 days from day of delivery on ebay and 180 days if you paid through paypal. Also, an option is a chargeback from your credit card company.

To add: A smart seller would just cancel the transaction and say buyer request. This would not result in a defect for him.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It almost sounds like the second seller was discouraging you so maybe you'd buy from them? Because it sounds like that diamond wouldn't have necessarily had the laser inscription according to ringo. Sounds like to me you just need an appraiser to verify for you whether the diamond is the same as the one in the report. Your ring may be just fine!

 

[MarionC]

I always get such fast shipment notification that they must be auto-generated.
The seller seems very helpful-sounds as though you have nothing to worry about.
I hope it turns out to be a great deal! If you have a window of time to return it it might be worth seeing it in person and having it checked out.