Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfeit?

[garter45]

I run a pawn shop and buy used jewelry. I had a customer try to sell me a diamond engagement ring and band set today. The style of the main ring is the "Brilliant Ribbon" as labeled by Tiffany & Co. At a distance it looks ok, but when I put it under a 10x magnification loupe the "Tiffany & Co." hallmark on the main engagement ring doesn't look right...it's all in block lettering, rather than the usual serif type style I see on other pieces (including the accompanying band that was presented with this ring). Furthermore, other authentic "Brilliant Ribbon" pieces I've seen sold online seem to always have the exact ctw engraved on the opposite side of the inner diameter of the ring, whereas this one has nothing on the opposing side. In addition, the overall craftsmanship on the main ring doesn't look right to me compared to other authentic pieces I've seen online.

The "Tiffany & Co" hallmark on the accompanying band ring looks more right to me (compare the photos), but the concerns on the main engagement ring caused me to conclude the main ring setting is at the least counterfeit and not authentic Tiffany & Co. When I shared my concerns with the customer who presented the ring to me she was stunned and thought I was dead wrong. Any Tiffany & Co. experts out there that can chime in on this piece? I tried to take some close-up pictures in bright lighting to show the detail. Notice the contrast in markings between the main diamond ring and the accompanying band.

 

[GlamMosher]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

I am by no means an expert but I just looked at the ribbon ring on the Tiffany web site and it doesn't look similar.


They may have changed over the years though, as I say, I am not an expert!

 

[MollyMalone]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

In addition to the concerns you have identified (and rightly so imo), there is no SKU number on the inside of the shank of your customer's ring (the SKU would precede the ct weight memorialized inside the shank & is also found on the diamond certificate given at time of purchase and spelled out in Tiffany's Retail Valuation Report). Also, the letters in her ring's Tiffany & Co. are all the same size; the T and the C are not larger.

I'm used to seeing the Tiffany & Co. start close to the head, so the PT 950 is what's closer to the bottom of the shank (like how it was done on the wedding band the customer brought you); I've always thought the intent was to limit any impact -- in the event of resizing -- to the metal hallmark, leaving the Tiffany & Co. undisturbed. But since Tiffany does not seem to have been consistent in this regard I'd attach less significance to that.

ETA: I just took a look at the Brilliant Ribbon rings offered on eBay by U.S. vendors who have posted good pics and the Tiffany paperwork (or at least, what appear to be authentic papers); all of those rings also have the copyright symbol immediately preceding the Tiffany & Co. inscription.

 

[kb1gra]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

I don't personally think either piece is authentic.

The band is a closer fake, but the stamping on both is too deep for the metal hallmark and the engagement ring is missing the serial number and carat weight. Additionally, the head on the engagement ring is not correct.

I think you'd be safest to assume that neither piece is real unless your client can produce affirmative documentation for this exact piece.

 

[motownmama]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

There should be a "c" inside a circle bf the Tiffany name (I think)

 

[kb1gra]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

There should be a "c" inside a circle bf the Tiffany name (I think)

I have authentic Tiffany pieces that do not have this. Some of the smaller ring sizes the C gets removed, and it's often not there on a piece with sidestones because there's not enough room to do it and cut away the back of the shank for light passage. That part doesn't worry me as much as hallmarking that is obviously too deep, wrong font, and incorrectly placed with a completely missing serial number and carat weight.

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

Could be just a really old version of the ring, but I would pass. If you have this many doubts, without proper paperwork to back up the authenticity, this would be a risky investment. I am no professional, but have purchased 2 diamond bands on ebay. Both had paperwork.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Re: Opinion On Tiffany & Co. Piece - Authentic Or Counterfei

Don't pawn shops take this risk all the time?
You may be the first pawn shop owner who has posted for help on this forum.
Its a free country, you can get advice also.