Is this a fake Tiffany’s? Help!

[dwts]

I bought a Tiffany St. Christopher’s medal second hand on Tradesy because you can no longer buy them new at Tiffany and Co. After I bought it, I started reading about how much fake Tiffany jewelry is out there. It arrived and I’ve been reading article and article about ways to spot a fake, but I’m still so unsure and I only have a few days to return it based on Tradesy’s return policy. Help! It feels heavy enough in my hand, but I really know zero about jewelry and this is a gift, so I really don’t want to give it if it’s a fake. Does anyone have any opinions on whether this looks a fake or not? Or any suggestions?

 

[lovedogs]

Does tradsey not authenticate prior to selling? I know others like the real real do.

 

[dwts]

No, they said you can send it back to them to authenticate. I suppose I could do that if need be. Thanks!

Does tradsey not authenticate prior to selling? I know others like the real real do.

Does tradsey not authenticate prior to selling? I know others like the real real do.

 

[MarionC]

Looks real to me and I do a lot of Tiffany research.

 

[dwts]

Looks real to me and I do a lot of Tiffany research.

Thank you so much for your opinion! I really appreciate it.

 

[dwts]

I'm sorry everyone, I'm obviously new to this forum and asked for help in the wrong place. Ugh. I didn't realize Rocky Talk was for diamonds. I'm trying to move this thread. Again, sorry for the mistake.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think this was the most likely forum where you'd get an answer. We do talk about settings in this forum as well as diamonds. Some of the other jewelry threads do not get much traffic, so you might not have gotten an answer. I think Tiffany pieces that are most copied are popular items, and particularly the sterling pieces. I would feel confident that your piece is authentic.

 

[MamaBee]

This looks authentic to me but I’m not an expert...I just have quite a few Tiffany pieces..The lettering is crisp and the stamps look real to me.

 

[yssie]

Ditto. Noone’s going to try to replica something like this. I’d feel confident it’s authentic.

But... as it’s no longer produced by Tiffany, and it’s unlikely to come back into circulation any time soon, you could just walk into any Tiffany store and tell them about it, and ask to have it serviced... and I would be shocked if they declined based on mode of acquisition.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I am concerned:
1. The engraving does not look professional, something is not right about the font and depth of engraving.
2. It could be the picture, but the Tiffany engraving looks off-center, Tiffany would never do off-center engraving. But again it could be the angle of the picture.

Edit: I found this one:
https://www.ebth.com/items/4814789-tiffany-co-saint-christopher-pendant
look at pictures 4 and 5.

The imprint looks sharper and some of the digit font looks different.

I would have it authenticated to be safe. Good luck.

 

[MamaBee]

I am concerned:
1. The engraving does not look professional, something is not right about the font and depth of engraving.
2. It could be the picture, but the Tiffany engraving looks off-center, Tiffany would never do off-center engraving. But again it could be the angle of the picture.

The engravings weren’t that perfect when they were older pieces. They were sometimes a little crooked. I have a band that I recently bought preowned..The stamp wasn’t perfectly straight..and because I paid a lot for it I brought it in to be checked with my pendant which I purchased there to throw her off....She didn’t say a word when she was examining it so I knew for sure it was authentic.

 

[rockysalamander]

I wish my grandmother was still alive, as she'd know at a glace. Can you take a picture with more indirect lighting to highlight the font used? The fact that it is marked with 925 (sterling) and 750 (18k) is a plus. Do you any dents that look like the pendant hit something in the gold coin? You are looking for sign or real wear.

 

[MamaBee]

I wish my grandmother was still alive, as she'd know at a glace. Can you take a picture with more indirect lighting to highlight the font used? The fact that it is marked with 925 (sterling) and 750 (18k) is a plus. Do you any dents that look like the pendant hit something in the gold coin? You are looking for sign or real wear.

I zoomed in and it looks like it has real wear on it..with the fine scratching that takes years..Was it @Jimmianne that’s mom had Tiffany jewelry that was bought at the store a long time ago and the stamps were a little off center then?
If you look at the example @WillyDiamond the two stamps are pushed to the right side. Your coin’s stamp isn’t exactly straight either and not centered just like the OP’s..I know it’s tilted...so I’m not talking about that..I’m saying that the stamp was not centered and more to the right.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I would still get it authenticated.

 

[dwts]

Ditto. Noone’s going to try to replica something like this. I’d feel confident it’s authentic.

But... as it’s no longer produced by Tiffany, and it’s unlikely to come back into circulation any time soon, you could just walk into any Tiffany store and tell them about it, and ask to have it serviced... and I would be shocked if they declined based on mode of acquisition.[/

 

[dwts]

I would still get it authenticated.

Thank you all so much for your op and advice! I am sincerely grateful! May I ask, how would I go about getting it authenticated? Am I understanding correctly that I take it to my local Tiffany and Co. retail store location and ask to have it polished and cleaned? Is this correct? I don’t mind at all paying to have it polished at Tiffany’s, especially since it will be a gift, if this means I can have peace of mind that it’s authentic.

 

[MamaBee]

I would still get it authenticated.

Definitely!

 

[MamaBee]

Thank you all so much for your op and advice! I am sincerely grateful! May I ask, how would I go about getting it authenticated? Am I understanding correctly that I take it to my local Tiffany and Co. retail store location and ask to have it polished and cleaned? Is this correct? I don’t mind at all paying to have it polished at Tiffany’s, especially since it will be a gift, if this means I can have peace of mind that it’s authentic.

They will send it out to New York to be polished..at least that’s what they did to mine when I brought a ring to be repaired.. but to have it cleaned they will sometimes do it if they’re not busy in the store. If they have to send it out.. it takes a while so you wouldn’t be able to have it back in time to return it. If you can have it authenticated on Tradesy I would definitely do that.

 

[yssie]

Thank you all so much for your op and advice! I am sincerely grateful! May I ask, how would I go about getting it authenticated? Am I understanding correctly that I take it to my local Tiffany and Co. retail store location and ask to have it polished and cleaned? Is this correct? I don’t mind at all paying to have it polished at Tiffany’s, especially since it will be a gift, if this means I can have peace of mind that it’s authentic.

A servicing that you pay for (not the free cleanings they’ll do in-store) is effectively a guarantee of authenticity - they won’t service pieces that aren’t authentic.

However... you aren’t talking about a Legacy halo you bought on eBay. This is a vintage piece that has been out of circulation for who knows how long - I strongly recommend just taking it into a local store, talking to an associate, and explaining where you got it and that it’s a gift - and asking what they could do to help you authenticate it. They may just do a valuation for insurance. They may also be able to tell you a lot more about your specific piece/model!

Just ask. Again, you’re not talking about the sort of piece that they worry about.

It’s beautiful, by the way - I imagine the recipient will be very happy

 

[MarionC]

Yeh, my Mom’s platinum ring had a really funky hallmark, but it was purchased in-store in NYC, so we know it’s authentic. The older pieces have all sorts of different hallmarks. I have never seen a stamped hallmark like the OP’s forged.
Easiest way to at least say it’s authentic is to have Tiffany clean and/or polish it.
(One time I asked for an expert opinion on a ring at Tiffany and they told me serial numbers on their rings are meaningless...kind of lowered my expectations about them knowing what’s what).
Good luck!

 

[rockysalamander]

I get the whole desire for polishing but tell them to tread lightly. The wear is part of the charm and history. You just want major scratches softened. Also, you'll lose metal off the 18k and it will make the engraving harder to see. After you get it authenticated, if you don't care about it being perfect as sold by Tiffany, you might see if an engraver could restore some details St. Christopher and the child. You could add just a gentle matt to the sky to help differentiate.

 

[MarionC]

I get the whole desire for polishing but tell them to tread lightly. The wear is part of the charm and history. You just want major scratches softened. Also, you'll lose metal off the 18k and it will make the engraving harder to see. After you get it authenticated, if you don't care about it being perfect as sold by Tiffany, you might see if an engraver could restore some details St. Christopher and the child. You could add just a gentle matt to the sky to help differentiate.

Oh gosh. I can’t believe I said to polish. I love patina and get irked when a seller says they made a beautiful patinaed piece all nice and shiny.