How do I recognize forgeries of Tiffany heart bracelets?

Hi Ken Mattel

I bought the necklace for my girlfriend. If you get it from Tiffany's
in the turquois bag and pay around $200 for the silver nacklace, it's
real. Otherwise it's not. It might be just as good, though. There is a
ton of variations out there, most of them in 925 Silver, just like the
original (and actually Tiffany's has several variations of the heart
tag bracelet and necklace - we were offered the lobster claw clasp and
the 'bar in ring' type clasp.
Here is an example from Tiffany's website (golden heart tag bracelet
ca. $1000):
http://www.tiffanys.com/shopping/item.asp?CategoryId=434&c_id=WEB1&c_it=06B&start_id=31&

 Some are design variations with different clasps, different chain
links, or different heart designs. I've seen good copies of the
bracelet in china town in NYC a few year ago for $15 - $20. My
girlfriend bought one of those and it is identical in design with the
necklace she got from Tiffany's. If you buy them wholesale, you get
them for a few dollars:

http://www.1joyeria.com/KeyWordCatalog.asp?KeywordCriteria=WHERE+r_stk+in+%28Select+distinct+r_stk+from+itemkeywords+where+Name+like+%27tiffany%27+OR+Name+like+%27heart%27+Group+by+r_stk+Having+%28count%28r_stk%29+%3E%3D2+%29%29&ItemPage=1&RowCheck=GetRows&submit3=Display+the+above+Items+
(you have to log in to get price listings)

One sure sign for the original is the engraving form, that comes with
it. If it does not have an engraving yet, the jewelry comes with an
order form from Tiffanys.

Hope that answers your question.

Morgenlandfahrer

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Request for Answer Clarification by kenmattel-ga on 22 Jan 2003 11:20 PST

Thank you very much for your answer.  Could you give me further
clarification?  Then bracelet on Tifany's site that is similar to the
one on Ebay that I purchased is this
http://65.54.246.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=2409725084407407a63d2387784cab53&lat=1043258263&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2egoogle%2ecom%2faccounts%2fVE%3fc%3d7006026259632008441

The link to the actual one I bought is here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11318&item=2608450159&rd=1

It comes with the Tiffany box.

I just dont know.  I have a week to determine if it is authentic
before my time to get a refund ends.

thank you so much

Ken Mattel

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Clarification of Answer by morgenlandfahrer-ga on 22 Jan 2003 11:49 PST

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the tip! Hers came in a velvet turquoise bag in a turquoise
box. We bought it directly at the store in a big city. And, as I said,
it was accompanied by an engraving form. I looked at the ebay offer
(the other link did not work) and it seems, that the seller is
offering a lot more of "Tiffany's" jewelry. If I were you, I'd be very
curious about this fact because Tiffany's does not sell outside their
stores and catalogues, certainly not on EBay and the other option, a
used original bracelet is unrealistic given the amount of jewelry he
sells. The price you paid is much better than what you could expect at
Tiffany's, too...
On the other hand, if you like the bracelet, why pay more? You can get
the engraving done anywheres and she'll be happy about the present.

Morgenlandfahrer

Was very helpful in explaining his own experience.

Usually, the tell-tell signs of a real against a fake are:
The real has tiffany stamped on the back
The real one feels a litle heavier
The real one has a better finish and look about it