A genuine Tiffany & Co. piece carries a crisp maker’s mark (‘TIFFANY & CO.’ or ‘T&CO.’) and a metal purity stamp (925 or AG925 for sterling, 750 for 18k gold, PT950 for platinum), cut with precision tooling, and it has the weight, finishing and even tarnish of real sterling or gold. Replicas fail on the stamp first — shallow, rounded, misaligned or missing — and on weight and plating second. This guide shows exactly where to look on rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, how to read Return to Tiffany and designer signatures, and the red flags that end an inspection. Every piece in our authenticated pre-owned Tiffany & Co. edit has passed these checks.
- Every genuine piece has a maker’s mark (‘TIFFANY & CO.’ or ‘T&CO.’) and a purity stamp: 925/AG925, 750/AU750 or PT950.
- Genuine stamps are sharp, evenly deep, evenly spaced and bevelled; shallow, rounded or misaligned marks are the first tell.
- Return to Tiffany: script ‘Please Return to’, house-font ‘Tiffany & Co. New York’, distinctive ampersand, even spacing.
- Real sterling has heft and tarnishes evenly; featherweight pieces and plating wear mean base metal.
- The blue box proves nothing — packaging is reproduced; the metal and the marks are what count.
Why Tiffany & Co. is one of the most-faked jewelry houses
Tiffany & Co. is heavily counterfeited because its sterling silver lines are relatively accessible in price, its signature designs are recognisable at a glance, and its blue packaging is easy to copy. Together, those factors give replicas a large market and a ready-made disguise.
Silver at an accessible price point
Most Tiffany pieces in circulation are sterling silver, not gold or platinum. Silver is cheaper for counterfeiters to imitate, and a convincing-looking copy can be cast in base metal, plated and sold for a fraction of retail. Because many buyers are shopping for a first piece or a gift, they are less likely to know what a genuine stamp or a genuine weight feels like.
Designs recognisable at a glance
Some of the house's most famous designs are also its most copied. The Return to Tiffany heart tag, Elsa Peretti's Open Heart and the chunky links of HardWear are simple silhouettes, so the outline is easy to reproduce. The details are not: replicas fail on engraving fonts, the shape of the ampersand, stamp depth and finishing, which is where an inspection focuses.
Packaging that proves nothing
The robin's-egg blue box, the white ribbon and the suede pouch are reproduced at scale and sold separately. A fake in a convincing box is still a fake, and a genuine piece without its box is still genuine. Our specialists set the packaging aside and assess the jewelry itself.
What an authentication actually involves
No single test is conclusive. Authentication means checking several independent features together, and a piece must pass all of them:
- The maker's mark, 'TIFFANY & CO.' or 'T&CO.', and a correct metal purity stamp
- The cut of the stamp: sharp letters, even depth and spacing, clean surrounding metal
- Weight, finishing, clasp and hinge construction, and tarnish behaviour
- Engraving and designer signatures, where the line calls for them
Every piece we sell is inspected this way and backed by our Authenticity Guarantee. The sections that follow explain each check in detail.
Tiffany hallmarks decoded: maker's mark and metal purity
Genuine Tiffany & Co. jewelry carries two marks: a maker's mark that names the house, and a purity mark that states the metal. Read together, they should describe the piece in your hand exactly. A piece sold as Tiffany with no purity stamp is a red flag, whatever else it has going for it.
The maker's mark: 'TIFFANY & CO.' and 'T&CO.'
The full 'TIFFANY & CO.' appears wherever there is room: inside ring bands, on bangles, on pendant reverses. The abbreviated 'T&CO.' is used where space is tight, on small charms, tags and narrow components. Both are legitimate house marks, so finding the short form is not a warning sign. Our specialists judge it by the same standard as the full mark.
Sterling silver: 925 and AG925
'925' means the metal is 925 parts per thousand pure silver, or 92.5 percent. 'AG925' says the same thing with the chemical symbol for silver (Ag) added. You will see one or the other across the silver lines, including Return to Tiffany, Elsa Peretti and HardWear.
The 1851 sterling standard
Tiffany adopted the 925/1000 sterling standard in 1851, and it became the American benchmark for silver. Older pieces may show smaller or slightly different fonts than current production. What should not change is clarity. A vintage mark can be worn, but it was cut just as crisply as a modern one.
18k gold: 750 and AU750
'750' means 750 parts per thousand pure gold, which is 18 karat or 75 percent. 'AU750' adds the chemical symbol for gold (Au). These marks appear on gold pieces in Tiffany T, Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso, among others.
Platinum: PT950
'PT950' denotes platinum at 95 percent purity. It is found mainly on bridal and fine jewelry, often alongside the maker's mark inside the band of a ring.
Designer and engraved marks
Designer collections carry a third element: a © symbol with the designer's name, such as Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, Schlumberger or Gehry. Return to Tiffany pieces add engraved text, 'Please Return to Tiffany & Co. New York', on tags, bracelets and pendants. Both are covered in detail later in this guide.
The marks at a glance
The table below summarises each stamp, what it means, and the lines where you can expect to find it.
| Stamp | Meaning | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| TIFFANY & CO. | Maker’s mark | All lines |
| T&CO. | Abbreviated maker’s mark | Small pieces, charms, tags |
| 925 / AG925 | Sterling silver, 92.5% pure | Silver lines incl. Return to Tiffany, Peretti, HardWear |
| 750 / AU750 | 18k gold, 75% pure | Gold lines incl. Tiffany T, Peretti, Picasso |
| PT950 | Platinum, 95% pure | Bridal and fine jewelry |
| © + designer name | Designer signature | Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, Schlumberger, Gehry |
| Please Return to Tiffany & Co. New York | Engraved tag text | Return to Tiffany tags, bracelets, pendants |
Read the marks against the metal
A correct stamp is only half the check. The purity mark must match what the piece actually is. Watch for these mismatches:
- A '750' stamp on something that looks, weighs or wears like silver.
- A '925' stamp on a piece whose plating is lifting to show a yellow or grey base metal.
- A maker's mark with no purity stamp at all.
Any of these means the marks are not telling the truth about the metal. In genuine pieces, the house mark, the purity mark and the metal all agree.
Stamp quality: how a genuine mark is cut
A genuine Tiffany & Co. stamp is cut with precision tooling, so every letter is sharp, evenly deep and evenly spaced, with bevelled edges and clean metal around it. Counterfeit marks are typically shallow, rounded, crowded or crooked, which is why the stamp is the first thing our specialists examine and the first place most replicas fail.
What precision tooling leaves behind
Under a 10x loupe, a genuine mark reads like engraving on a coin. The strokes of 'TIFFANY & CO.' have crisp corners, the full stop after 'CO' is distinct, and the purity code (925, AG925, 750, AU750 or PT950) sits at the same depth as the maker's mark beside it.
The walls of each letter slope cleanly down into the metal, creating a slight bevel that catches light from an angle. The surrounding surface is smooth and undisturbed, with no raised burrs, ripples or dragged metal at the edges of the stamp.
The counterfeit tells
Replica stamps are usually made with cruder tools or cast into the piece, and the difference shows at magnification. Look for:
- Shallow or faded lettering that looks printed rather than cut, even on a piece that shows little wear.
- Rounded, blobby strokes where the letters should have defined edges.
- Uneven depth, with one end of the mark deeper than the other.
- Misalignment or poor spacing: letters drifting off a straight line, crowding together or gaping apart.
- Wrong metal codes, such as a gold-coloured piece stamped 925, or a code that does not match the metal in hand.
Allowing for age and wear
Older Tiffany pieces may carry smaller or slightly different fonts, but they show the same crisp clarity as modern stamps. Years of wear can soften the surface of a mark, yet wear does not make letters misaligned, unevenly spaced or rounded from the start.
When a stamp is genuinely worn, our specialists weigh it alongside the weight, finishing and construction of the piece rather than judging it on the mark alone. A clean, confident stamp is strong evidence; a poor one, on a piece that otherwise looks new, is usually decisive.
Where to find the marks on rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings
Tiffany & Co. places its marks where an inspector expects them: inside the band on rings, on the clasp, tag or pendant reverse on necklaces, on the clasp or inner surface of bracelets, and on the posts, backs or rear surface of earrings. A mark in an unusual position is not proof of a fake, but it warrants a closer look at everything else.
Rings
Look inside the band. The maker's mark and purity stamp sit on the inner surface, protected from the abrasion the outside of a ring takes every day. Tilt the ring under a single lamp so light rakes across the metal, then read the letters through a 10x loupe. Every ring in our Tiffany rings edit is checked this way before anything else.
Necklaces and pendants
Start at the clasp, then any tag near it, then the reverse of the pendant. The purity stamp should match the metal of the part it is struck on, so a 925 mark on a component that is visibly gold needs an explanation.
Bracelets
On chain and link bracelets the mark is usually on the clasp. On bangles and cuffs, check the inner surface, where the stamp sits flat against the wrist.
Earrings
Check the posts, the backs and the rear surface of the earring itself. Space is tight, so the abbreviated 'T&CO.' is common here, and the letters are small enough that a loupe is essential. Our Tiffany earrings are inspected pair by pair, since each earring should carry its own mark.
When a mark is worn or a ring has been resized
Decades of wear soften stamps, and a resize can cut through or distort a mark inside a band. A genuine stamp that has worn still reads as tooled: the letters lose sharpness evenly and keep their spacing, whereas a counterfeit stamp is uneven from the start.
On a resized ring, look for a solder seam on the band and ask for the jeweller's paperwork. If the mark is unreadable, the piece must stand on weight, finishing and construction, and our specialists will not pass it on design alone.
Return to Tiffany: the engraving that gives fakes away
On a genuine Return to Tiffany piece, "Please Return to" is engraved in a flowing script and "Tiffany & Co. New York" in the house font, with the house's distinctive ampersand and even letter spacing throughout. Counterfeiters copy the shape of the tag easily. The lettering is far harder to reproduce, which makes it the most reliable check on this line.
How the genuine engraving reads
The text sits in two registers. The script line should flow naturally, with joined letters and consistent stroke weight. The house-font line beneath it should be upright, evenly spaced and centred on the tag.
- Script: "Please Return to" in a single, fluid hand with no breaks or wobble.
- House font: "Tiffany & Co. New York" in clean, regular capitals and lower case.
- Ampersand: the distinctive Tiffany form, correctly proportioned to the letters beside it.
- Spacing: clear, even gaps between every word, with nothing crowded toward the edge.
Heart tags and bead bracelets
The heart tag appears on necklaces, chain bracelets, bead bracelets and keyrings, and the engraving rules are the same on all of them. Our specialists also confirm the maker's mark and the 925 or AG925 purity stamp on the tag, clasp or reverse, as they would on any silver Tiffany piece.
On bead bracelets, look past the tag. The beads should be uniformly round and evenly polished, with the weight of solid sterling. Light beads, visible seams or patchy plating point to a replica, however convincing the engraving looks.
Common fake errors
Most replicas fail on lettering before anything else. These are the errors we see most often:
- Words running together, especially "Tiffany&Co." or "NewYork."
- A mis-shaped, oversized or generic ampersand.
- Uneven spacing or text that drifts off-centre.
- Script that looks stiff, broken or inconsistent in weight.
- Shallow, fuzzy engraving with rough edges.
- No maker's mark or purity stamp anywhere on the piece.
Every piece in our Return to Tiffany edit is checked line by line against these points before it is listed.
Designer signatures: Peretti, Picasso, Schlumberger
Designer collections carry two marks: the Tiffany maker's mark and purity stamp, plus the designer's own signature, usually a © followed by the name. If a piece is sold as Elsa Peretti or Paloma Picasso and shows only "TIFFANY & CO." and "925", our specialists treat it as unverified until proven otherwise.
Which collections carry which signature
The signature tells you which designer's archive the piece belongs to. Each one should match the design in hand.
- Elsa Peretti: Open Heart, Bean, Bone cuff, Diamonds by the Yard.
- Paloma Picasso: Loving Heart, Graffiti.
- Jean Schlumberger: identified mainly by design rather than a prominent signature.
- Frank Gehry: signed with the designer's name alongside the Tiffany mark.
Elsa Peretti: the script and the proportions
Genuine Peretti pieces read "© Elsa Peretti" with the name in a flowing script, cut as cleanly as the Tiffany mark beside it. Look for the same even depth and spacing you would expect of any genuine stamp. Lettering that looks scratched, blurred or crowded is a warning sign.
Proportion matters as much as the mark. The Open Heart is drawn as a single line that swells and tapers, so the heart sits slightly asymmetric. Copies tend to use wire of uniform thickness. The Bean should be a smooth, continuous form with no flat spots or lumpy casting. Our authenticated Elsa Peretti pieces are checked against both the signature and the silhouette.
Paloma Picasso: Loving Heart and Graffiti
Picasso pieces carry "© Paloma Picasso" with the Tiffany mark and purity stamp. The Loving Heart is a bold, rounded heart, and Graffiti motifs such as the X and the kiss are confident, freehand-looking forms. Copies often soften the volume or thin the lines, which shows on close comparison.
Where fakes drop the signature
Counterfeiters usually copy the famous Tiffany mark and skip the designer signature, or they add it as a shallow, misaligned afterthought. An Open Heart, Bean or Loving Heart with no designer signature, or with a signature cut more poorly than the Tiffany stamp, should end the inspection.
Weight, finishing and tarnish
Weight, finishing and tarnish are the second line of evidence after the stamp. Genuine Tiffany sterling and gold feel substantial in the hand, are finished cleanly inside and out, and tarnish evenly. Replicas tend to be light, rough at the joins and plated over base metal.
Heft: what solid sterling feels like
Sterling is 92.5% silver, so a genuine piece has real weight for its size. A Return to Tiffany heart tag or a HardWear link should feel dense, not hollow. A featherweight piece usually means a thin silver layer over a cheaper base metal.
Weight is judged comparatively. Our specialists compare each piece against known genuine examples of the same design and size, because a small charm and a wide cuff naturally differ.
Tarnish and plating wear
Real sterling tarnishes as silver reacts with sulfur in the air. It does so evenly across exposed surfaces and darkest in recesses, and the film polishes away to the same white metal underneath.
Fakes behave differently. Tarnish appears in patches. On high-contact points such as clasp edges, ring undersides and pendant bails, the plating wears through to a yellow or grey base metal. Once that colour shows, no stamp can redeem the piece.
Interiors, clasps and hinges
Tiffany finishes the parts most people never look at. Ring interiors are polished smooth, and edges are free of burrs and casting marks.
Clasps should close with a firm, positive action, and springs should return cleanly. On hinged bangles and cuffs, the two halves should align precisely when closed, with no gap or wobble.
Solder joins
On a genuine piece, solder joins are invisible from the front. There is no seam line, no discoloured band and no blob of filler where a jump ring or bail meets the body. Visible joins, pitting or rough edges point to mass casting rather than Tiffany finishing.
| Check | Genuine | Replica tell |
|---|---|---|
| Maker’s mark | Crisp ‘TIFFANY & CO.’ or ‘T&CO.’ | Missing, shallow, wrong font |
| Purity stamp | 925/AG925, 750/AU750, PT950 | Missing or wrong code |
| Stamp edges | Bevelled, even depth | Rounded, uneven, smudged |
| Weight | Solid sterling or gold heft | Featherweight |
| Tarnish | Even, polishes away | Patchy; yellow/grey base metal shows |
| Finishing | Polished interiors, invisible solder | Rough edges, visible joins |
| Return to Tiffany text | Script + house font, even spacing | Words run together, odd ampersand |
Wear is not the same as fakery. Fine scratches, light dents and surface tarnish are normal on pre-owned silver. Our Condition Guide explains how we grade them separately from authenticity.
Packaging and paperwork: why the blue box proves nothing
The blue box proves nothing on its own. Boxes, pouches, ribbons and care cards are reproduced in volume, and genuine empty packaging is resold separately, so an authentic box can easily arrive holding a counterfeit piece.
Boxes and pouches
Replica boxes now get the robin's-egg colour, the lid fit and the stamped logo close enough to pass a casual glance. Pouches are simpler still to copy. Our specialists set the packaging aside before they handle the jewelry, because a piece is judged on its stamps, weight and construction, never on what it came wrapped in.
A seller who leads with the box rather than macro photos of the hallmark is signalling where the evidence is thin.
Receipts and appraisals
Paperwork is supporting evidence only. A receipt shows that a purchase took place, but it rarely ties to one specific piece, and receipts can be edited or paired with a different item. An appraisal describes a piece and estimates its value. It is only as reliable as the appraiser's examination of the marks.
Documents earn weight when they agree with the piece in hand: the same collection, design, metal and size. A mismatch between paperwork and piece is a reason to look harder, not a minor detail.
Will Tiffany authenticate my piece?
No. Tiffany & Co. does not authenticate jewelry bought from third parties, so a pre-owned or inherited piece cannot be verified by sending it back to the house. Verification falls to an experienced specialist who reads the maker's mark, purity stamp, weight, finishing and construction together, and reaches a conclusion only when every element agrees.
Red flags: when to walk away
Walk away if a piece fails any single check below: a missing purity stamp, a shallow or misaligned maker's mark, featherweight metal, plating wear, or a seller who will not show the stamps up close. Genuine Tiffany & Co. does not fail these, so one failure is enough.
Why one red flag is enough
On an authentic piece, the stamp, the weight, the finishing and the engraving all agree. Counterfeits often get one or two details right, such as a convincing blue box or a near-correct font, and then fail elsewhere. Our specialists treat a single clear failure as the end of the inspection. They do not weigh it against the details that look right.
Ask for macro photos before you commit
When buying from photographs, ask for sharp close-ups of the maker's mark, the purity stamp and any engraving or designer signature. A seller with a genuine piece has no reason to refuse, and a refusal is itself a red flag.
Buying pre-owned Tiffany with confidence
The safest way to buy pre-owned Tiffany & Co. is from a seller whose specialists inspect the metal and the marks in hand, not from photographs alone. Every piece we offer has passed the checks set out in this guide, in the same order, before it is listed.
How our specialists inspect every piece
Our specialists treat authentication as a sequence of checks. No single check is enough on its own, and a piece must pass all of them together.
- Maker's mark: 'TIFFANY & CO.' or 'T&CO.' sits in the correct place for the piece type, with sharp lettering and even depth.
- Purity stamp: 925/AG925, 750/AU750 or PT950 is present and matches the metal in hand.
- Weight and finishing: the piece has the right heft for its size, polished interiors, secure clasps and hinges, and solder joins invisible from the front.
- Engraving and signatures: the Return to Tiffany text and the Peretti or Picasso signatures are correct in font, spacing and placement.
We grade condition separately from authenticity. A genuine piece with light surface scratches or tarnish is described exactly as it is, so the listing tells you what will arrive.
The lines we carry
Our edit of authenticated Tiffany & Co. jewelry spans the house's most-collected lines:
- Return to Tiffany heart tags and bead bracelets
- Elsa Peretti Open Heart, Bean and Bone cuff
- Tiffany T in gold and silver
- Tiffany HardWear
- Vintage Tiffany
On vintage pieces, older stamps can use smaller or slightly different fonts. Our specialists judge those marks against period-correct references rather than current tooling.
Shop authenticated Tiffany & Co. jewelry
Backed by our Authenticity Guarantee
Every purchase is covered by our Authenticity Guarantee, which sets out exactly what we stand behind. Stock turns over constantly, and the most recently authenticated pieces appear first in our new arrivals.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Tiffany jewelry is real?
Start with the marks. A genuine piece carries a maker's mark, 'TIFFANY & CO.' or 'T&CO.', plus a purity stamp: 925 or AG925 for sterling, 750 or AU750 for 18k gold, PT950 for platinum. The stamps should be sharp, evenly deep and evenly spaced with bevelled edges. Then check weight, finishing and tarnish. Real sterling has heft, polished interiors and tarnishes evenly. If any of these fail, treat the piece as suspect until a specialist inspects it.
What does 925 mean on Tiffany jewelry?
925 means sterling silver: 925 parts pure silver per 1,000, or 92.5 percent, with the balance usually copper for strength. Tiffany adopted the 925/1000 standard in 1851, and it became the American benchmark for sterling. On Tiffany silver it appears beside the maker's mark, sometimes written as AG925. A 925 stamp alone proves nothing, since counterfeits use it too. It must be crisply cut and appear on a piece with the weight of solid silver.
Is all Tiffany jewelry stamped?
Genuine Tiffany & Co. jewelry carries both a maker's mark and a metal purity mark. Rings are marked inside the band, and necklaces on the clasp, a tag or the pendant reverse. Bracelets are marked on the clasp or inside a bangle, and earrings on the posts, backs or rear surface. Marks can soften with decades of wear, polishing or resizing. A piece sold as Tiffany with no purity stamp at all is still a red flag.
What does T&CO mean?
T&CO. is the abbreviated Tiffany & Co. maker's mark. It is used where space is limited, typically on small pieces, charms and tags, and it serves the same purpose as the full 'TIFFANY & CO.' stamp. It should be accompanied by a purity mark such as 925 or 750. It should also be cut to the same standard: sharp letters, a correctly formed ampersand, even spacing and clean metal around the stamp. A smudged or crowded T&CO. is a counterfeit tell.
Does Tiffany authenticate jewelry?
No. Tiffany & Co. does not authenticate pieces bought from third parties, so a store visit will not confirm whether a pre-owned or inherited item is genuine. Authentication falls to experienced specialists who inspect the maker's mark, purity stamp, stamp quality, weight, finishing and construction together. Receipts and appraisals can support a piece's history, but they are supporting evidence only. Buying from a seller whose specialists inspect every item is the most reliable route.
How can I tell a fake Return to Tiffany bracelet?
Read the tag first. On a genuine piece, 'Please Return to' is engraved in script and 'Tiffany & Co. New York' in the house font, with the distinctive ampersand and even spacing. Words running together, a misshapen ampersand or shallow, wobbly lettering are red flags. Next, check that the clasp or tag carries a crisp 925 or AG925 stamp. The bracelet should have the weight of solid sterling, and the links and clasp should feel smooth and secure.
Does real Tiffany silver tarnish?
Yes. Genuine Tiffany sterling is 92.5 percent silver and tarnishes naturally. It darkens evenly across the surface, and the tarnish polishes away to reveal bright silver underneath. Tarnish is normal and not a sign of a fake. What should concern you is patchy discolouration, or wear that exposes a yellow or grey base metal beneath. That indicates plating over cheaper metal, whereas solid sterling looks the same all the way through.
What is AG925?
AG925 is a sterling silver purity mark. 'Ag' is the chemical symbol for silver, and '925' means 92.5 percent pure silver. On Tiffany & Co. pieces it carries the same meaning as a plain 925 stamp. It appears alongside the maker's mark on silver lines including Return to Tiffany, Elsa Peretti and HardWear. Its gold equivalent is AU750, from 'Au', the chemical symbol for gold, which marks 18k gold at 75 percent purity.
Is Elsa Peretti jewelry signed?
Yes. Elsa Peretti pieces carry the designer's signature in addition to the Tiffany & Co. maker's mark and a purity stamp such as 925 or 750. This applies across her designs, including Open Heart, Bean, the Bone cuff and Diamonds by the Yard. Other designer lines are signed too, notably Paloma Picasso and Frank Gehry. A piece presented as Peretti that bears only a Tiffany mark, with no designer signature, is a red flag.
Is it safe to buy pre-owned Tiffany?
It is, when the seller authenticates every piece. Our specialists inspect the maker's mark and purity stamp under magnification and assess how each stamp was cut. They also check weight against the metal and design, and examine finishing, clasps, hinges and engravings before a piece is listed. When buying anywhere, ask for macro photos of the stamps and ignore the blue box as evidence. Walk away from any seller who cannot show crisp, correct marks.
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Our in-house specialists physically inspect and verify every piece before it is listed, across the houses we carry.
Last reviewed: October 2026