Second-hand Tiffany... Now what?

[QueenG]

So... I have acquired a Tiffany platinum solitaire (coming in the mail shortly). I am 99.9% sure it''s the real thing, but need to make sure before I can''t return it anymore. Does anyone have any details about what I should be doing? I believe I take it to a Tiffany store and get it authenticated and re-valuated. I''m in the Philadelphia-area... do they do this at every store, or must it be shipped to the Flagship NYC store? And how long does this take, exactly? And how much will it cost me? I am pretty confident in it''s authenticity, but I only have 7 days to return it once I get it. Soooo glad it''s the weekend before V-day. Perfect time to be rushing something at Tiffany, isn''t it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Hi QueenG, I think you do exactly what you wrote (take to store,etc.) They may ask you questions regarding provenance since thay have all diamond purchases in thier database and the names of owners won''t match up. I would come clean about how you acquired the piece -- it''s stilll their product and have to service it. There are registration #''s on the star facet identifying it as thiers. So the way I see it they should clean, inspect it for you and resize the band as well

.

If there is a repair, they will send it to NY (main lab) but depending on what it is there won''t be a charge (resizing).

First, I would ask a SA to view the star facet under the microscope in the store and make sure the #''s correspond to whats on the inside of the band and in the valuation paperwork.

Good luck, I''ve wondered about this myself. I know they are definitely aware of Ebay and other place to acquire their and fake pieces.

Lisa

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 2/7/2008 11:18:44 AM
Author: lisa1.01fvs1
Hi QueenG, I think you do exactly what you wrote (take to store,etc.) They may ask you questions regarding provenance since thay have all diamond purchases in thier database and the names of owners won''t match up. I would come clean about how you acquired the piece -- it''s stilll their product and have to service it. There are registration #''s on the star facet identifying it as thiers. So the way I see it they should clean, inspect it for you and resize the band as well

.

If there is a repair, they will send it to NY (main lab) but depending on what it is there won''t be a charge (resizing).

First, I would ask a SA to view the star facet under the microscope in the store and make sure the #''s correspond to whats on the inside of the band and in the valuation paperwork.

Good luck, I''ve wondered about this myself. I know they are definitely aware of Ebay and other place to acquire their and fake pieces.

Lisa

Actually Lisa, you are half right. Some of the newer stones are inscribed with a laser on the star facet. The older stones before 2004 will not have this inscription number, so if the ring is older than that, it may not be inscribed. It doesn''t mean it''s a fake, just that it was created before the inscription process was started. But in those cases, the stones are evaluated at the lab for verification in other ways to identify if it was a diamond that was sold within that ring.

Also repairs are sent to the NY lab for processing that is correct. Last I know that is the main lab, since there is no other laboratory. There are many other facilities, but some repairs (depending on what it is) can be sent to their headquarters base in Parsippany. They also have a Rhode Island facility of artisans.

 

[Beacon]

Date: 2/7/2008 11:43:47 AM
Author: Nicrez

Date: 2/7/2008 11:18:44 AM
Author: lisa1.01fvs1
Hi QueenG, I think you do exactly what you wrote (take to store,etc.) They may ask you questions regarding provenance since thay have all diamond purchases in thier database and the names of owners won't match up. I would come clean about how you acquired the piece -- it's stilll their product and have to service it. There are registration #'s on the star facet identifying it as thiers. So the way I see it they should clean, inspect it for you and resize the band as well

.

If there is a repair, they will send it to NY (main lab) but depending on what it is there won't be a charge (resizing).

First, I would ask a SA to view the star facet under the microscope in the store and make sure the #'s correspond to whats on the inside of the band and in the valuation paperwork.

Good luck, I've wondered about this myself. I know they are definitely aware of Ebay and other place to acquire their and fake pieces.

Lisa

Actually Lisa, you are half right. Some of the newer stones are inscribed with a laser on the star facet. The older stones before 2004 will not have this inscription number, so if the ring is older than that, it may not be inscribed. It doesn't mean it's a fake, just that it was created before the inscription process was started. But in those cases, the stones are evaluated at the lab for verification in other ways to identify if it was a diamond that was sold within that ring.

Also repairs are sent to the NY lab for processing that is correct. Last I know that is the main lab, since there is no other laboratory. There are many other facilities, but some repairs (depending on what it is) can be sent to their headquarters base in Parsippany. They also have a Rhode Island facility of artisans.

This is interesting. I have heard some talk about this, but I am curious, how can they determine if this was the stone that was sold in that ring w/o inscription? Do they use something like GemPrint?

 

[QueenG]

This ring was purchased less than a year ago (by the original owner), so I guess it will be laser inscribed? It''s good to know that a SA can quickly determine the authenticity for me before my 7 days are up! I don''t mind waiting for the valuation to be re-done, I just need to be sure I didn''t get scammed. Thanks so much for the input!