Has Tiffany changed their authentication policy?

[HERMAN]

Has Tiffany changed their authentication policy? I was thinking of purchasing a preowned Tiffany piece of jewelry and wanted to take it to Tiffany's to get a updated retail valuation report and get the item authenticated. After a long converstion with them I was told that they will only provide this service to the original owner of the item and no one else. Has anyone else run across this problem? It would seem that this will hurt the market for Tiffany jewelry.

 

[canuk-gal]

Has Tiffany changed their authentication policy? I was thinking of purchasing a preowned Tiffany piece of jewelry and wanted to take it to Tiffany's to get a updated retail valuation report and get the item authenticated. After a long converstion with them I was told that they will only provide this service to the original owner of the item and no one else. Has anyone else run across this problem? It would seem that this will hurt the market for Tiffany jewelry.

HI:

Are you saying they will no longer provide appraisals for their own pieces?

cheers--Sharon

 

[denverappraiser]

That seems to be the case. I actually called up a friend who works there when I heard this because, frankly, I didn't believe it. They won't do an 'appraisal' at all and they won't do a retail replacement evaluation unless you are were the original customer. I can't even order one as an appraiser when a Tiff piece is part of an estate I'm evaluating. I pressed the idea that most of their original customers are deceased since they've been in business for so long and asked if it was really true that they wouldn't provide paperwork on their own goods. They'll make an 'exception' for inheritances but you may be asked to prove it. Good grief.

 

[Enerchi]

well... wonder what prompted that? I would think with all the 'knock off's' out there, they'd want to confirm which pieces are actually theirs!

Even for a fee they won't do this?? Too bad... I guess we need to be more cautious with ebay resellers then, too.

 

[Niel]

Thats ridiculous! So if my grandmother passes down a ring to me and says its Tiffany's I want to make sure she wasnt mistaken I cant get it appraised without lots of documentation? The only thing i can think is that so many people bring in fakes they are tired of wasting there time on them. but still why not do it for a fee?

 

[distracts]

I guess they just want you to buy a new one rather than a pre-owned one or inheriting one. Lame.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Perhaps demand for authentication is greater then what they can provide.

I can't see how this how this can be good for retail or Estate business. There is no providence since they will not/cannot authenticate or value their old pieces and therefore their name and reputation is diminished. No cache atached to Tiffany. Wow.

Strike that >4 carat Estate T & Co. diamond ring off my list.

cheers--Sharon

 

[VRBeauty]

That seems to be the case. I actually called up a friend who works there when I heard this because, frankly, I didn't believe it. They won't do an 'appraisal' at all and they won't do a retail replacement evaluation unless you are were the original customer. I can't even order one as an appraiser when a Tiff piece is part of an estate I'm evaluating. I pressed the idea that most of their original customers are deceased since they've been in business for so long and asked if it was really true that they wouldn't provide paperwork on their own goods. They'll make an 'exception' for inheritances but you may be asked to prove it. Good grief.

Thanks for checking it out for us, DA! This is good to know, especially since I'm far more likely to buy a Tiffany's piece used than new...

 

[oldminer]

Now, more than ever before, it would pay to be sure to safeguard and paperwork proving the provenance of any special name brand item you may own. If Tuffany has decided no longer to authenticate items in the secondary market, it will make those items with proof a far better item than an equal item lacking evidence of authenticity. The rules of what is accepted as genuine product may change due to such a policy change.

 

[Hera]

I wasn't aware that Tiffany does free appraisals for the owners. If I'm the original owner of anything Tiffany, does that mean they will give me a free appraisal?

 

[denverappraiser]

I wasn't aware that Tiffany does free appraisals for the owners. If I'm the original owner of anything Tiffany, does that mean they will give me a free appraisal?

Who said anyting about 'free''? If they agree to do it at all, their abbreviated estimate to replace costs about $200 and usually takes a few weeks. For people who can't prove that they are they are the original owners they say they won't even do that.

Telling people that fakes ae fakes at $200 a pop SHOULD be a pretty profitable gig for them although I can see them not liking being in the position of delivering bad news. 'Authenticating' genuine Tiffany goods (again at a substantial fee. They can charge whatever they want) props up the value of their brand name in the secondary market which is nothing but good for them. It's no cooincidence that the high-end car makers are all getting into the business of 'certifying' used cars for exactly this reason. It helps with the sale of NEW things if USED things have a market, especially if you're trying to get a premium for your brand. I'm guessing the brain trust at Tifs just didn't think this through but then they outsell me by a factor of a thousand so who am I to tell them how to run their business?

 

[megumic]

Do y'all know of any third party appraisers who would look at an older tiffany piece to give some sort of authentication? I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a 1970s piece from ebay and just spoke to our local tiffany who won't authenticate....ideas?

 

[HopeDream]

Does this mean that Tiffany knock-offs have become so refined that even Tiffany can't tell the difference any more? I guess they've decided to err on the side of caution to prevent really good fakes from diluting their Brand premium.

Does this mean that used tiffany stuff could get a bit cheaper because there's no way to guarantee the authenticity of the piece? (Greater risk for the buyer means a greater discount)

 

[Christina...]

Does this mean that Tiffany knock-offs have become so refined that even Tiffany can't tell the difference any more? I guess they've decided to err on the side of caution to prevent really good fakes from diluting their Brand premium.

Does this mean that used tiffany stuff could get a bit cheaper because there's no way to guarantee the authenticity of the piece? (Greater risk for the buyer means a greater discount)

Good question. I hear stories often of people with the Vatche U113 browsing Tiffs and the SA compliments their ring and offers to clean it for them assuming that it's one of their own. Of course this isn't the same thing as having the ring validated for authenticity, but then again Vatche isn't attempting to trick anyone into believing that the piece was a genuine TIffanys piece.


As far as used TIffanys pieces selling for less now because of the inability to verify....I personally would want a better deal for taking the risk!! I agree with Old Miner that pieces that come with the original paperwork and packaging are going to sell for more than the ones without...though that still doesn't guarantee authenticity....

 

[Hera]

You can buy it and ask Tiffany's to clean it. If they won't, then you have your answer.

 

[Harpertoo]

I definitely think this has to do with fakes becoming more sophisticated. Tiffany has some benefit from consumers believing there is a strong secondary market,but I think increasingly they risk more by potentially endorsing fakes.
I imagine they'll make exceptions for significant pieces with paperwork.
Does anyone know it they inscribe their diamonds?
I saw a ring on eBay and the paperwork description did not match the photo of the stone. The stone had a culet, the T&C paperwork said none....had me wondering.

 

[megumic]

You can buy it and ask Tiffany's to clean it. If they won't, then you have your answer.

This is a good idea. I may try this....