The hallmarks on real Tiffany jewelry
Genuine pieces are marked, and the marking is crisp. Look for the maker name in full alongside a metal standard: sterling silver pieces carry a sterling or 925 stamp, gold pieces carry 750 for eighteen karat or 585 for fourteen. Many pieces also carry a designer name or a copyright date.
What separates real from fake is usually the quality of the stamping rather than its content, because counterfeiters know what to write. Under magnification an authentic mark is evenly struck, sharply defined and correctly spaced, sitting flat in the metal. Fakes tend to show shallow, mushy or crooked letters, uneven spacing, or a mark that looks etched or printed rather than struck. A missing metal standard beside the name is a serious warning, and so is a mark that is present but reads slightly wrong.
Please Return to Tiffany and Co: the most copied piece there is
The Return to Tiffany heart tag, on a bracelet or a necklace, is the single most counterfeited item in the range, and it is the piece we are asked about most. Check the tag itself rather than the chain: the engraving on a genuine tag is deep, evenly spaced and consistently aligned around the curve, and the edges of the tag are smoothly finished with no seam or roughness where it was formed.
Then check the weight and the sound. Real sterling has heft for its size and the clasp closes with a solid, precise action. Many copies are silver plated base metal, which feels light, sounds tinny and eventually shows wear through to a yellowish underlayer at the edges and high points. A worn spot revealing a different colour metal underneath settles the question on the spot.
Elsa Peretti, Lucida and the pieces where the designer is the value
Some ranges carry more than the brand name. Elsa Peretti designed the Open Heart, the Bean, Diamonds by the Yard and the Bone Cuff, and her work is signed with her name in addition to the house mark. Because production of her designs ended after her death, signed Peretti pieces are a closed set, and a closed set behaves differently from an open one at resale. The Infinity range and other in house designs are more ordinary by comparison.
Lucida is the house's own diamond cut, a mixed cut with a distinctive stepped crown and a square outline, and it was discontinued. A Lucida ring is therefore identifiable and finite, which is worth knowing before anyone tells you an unusual square stone is a flawed princess cut. It is not; it is a specific cut with its own following.
What signed Tiffany jewelry is worth at resale
Two values sit in every piece and they are worth separating. Underneath there is the metal and any stones, which are checkable, settle against a live market and set a floor. On top there is the signature, which is real but softer: it depends on the range, whether the design is discontinued, and condition.
The honest picture is that signed pieces do resell above their melt value, more reliably than unsigned equivalents, but well below what they cost new, because the retail price included a great deal that is not recoverable. Discontinued designer ranges hold up best. Plain chains and small ordinary items hold up least and can end up valued close to their silver content.
The blue box does not carry the value people expect. It helps a private sale marginally and it does not change what a piece is worth to a trade buyer. Do not let a missing box stop you having something looked at, and do not pay a premium for a box on its own.
Having a Tiffany piece checked
Bring it, with or without the box, papers or pouch. We read the marks under magnification, test the metal, weigh it and tell you which of the two values above is carrying the piece. If it is plated base metal we will say so plainly rather than making an offer that pretends otherwise, and we will show you what we saw.
Our jewelry counter covers the full evaluation, and silver covers sterling by weight.
Signed, unsigned or uncertain: marks read under magnification, metal tested, the answer explained while you watch, paid the same day. Call (732) 483-4145 or walk in.
Get your piece checked at any of our 8 storesTiffany jewelry FAQs
How can you tell if a Tiffany bracelet is real?
Check the mark first: the name in full beside a metal standard such as sterling, 925, 750 or 585, evenly struck and sharply defined under magnification. Then weight and finish. Real sterling has heft and a precise clasp action, while plated copies feel light, sound tinny and wear through to a different coloured metal at the edges.
Why is Return to Tiffany jewelry copied so often?
It is the best known piece in the range, so it is the most profitable to fake. Check the heart tag rather than the chain: genuine engraving is deep, evenly spaced and consistently aligned around the curve, and the tag edges are smoothly finished with no seam or roughness.
Are Elsa Peretti pieces worth more?
Generally yes. Her designs, including the Open Heart, Bean, Diamonds by the Yard and Bone Cuff, are signed with her name as well as the house mark, and production ended after her death, so they are a closed set. Discontinued designer ranges hold their value better than open in house ones.
What is a Lucida cut?
A discontinued in house diamond cut with a stepped crown and a square outline. It is a specific cut with its own following, not a flawed princess cut, and it is identifiable and finite, which matters when a piece is being valued.
Does the blue box add value when selling?
Far less than people expect. It can help marginally in a private sale and it does not change what a piece is worth to a trade buyer. A missing box should never stop you having something looked at.