HOW TO SPOT A FAKE TIFFANY POUCH : eBay Guides

As I'm sure you're aware, the amount of fake Tiffany jewelry on eBay seems to out number the authentic Tiffany jewelry.  Innocent victims are spending hundreds of dollars on fake Tiffany jewelry every day!  Multiply that times the number of fakes on eBay and the totals are well into the millions of dollars.  The countefeit Tiffany auctions are actually, in many cases, ending with higher bids than the authentic Tiffany auctions.  Innocent buyers as well as honest seller are being hurt by these auctions!

Honest sellers do exist and there are ways to spot the fakes just by closely looking at the pictures. One of the easiest things to spot is the pouch.  IF THE POUCH IS FAKE it's logical to assume THE JEWELRY IS ALSO FAKE!

Tiffany & Co. includes a lovely, distintively "Tiffany blue", pouch with all of their jewelry items with the exception of some high-end pieces that are presented in beautiful deep navy velvet display boxes.  The other exception would be some older high-end gold pieces.  These may have come in a brown drawstring pouch with Tiffany & Co in gold lettering.

The most commonly seen pouches are the drawstring pouch and the snap pouch, both of which I will address in this guide.  A third pouch is also used by Tiffany & Co - the serged pouch.  This pouch is made of a soft "Tiffany blue" fabric, has a flap on top and shiny white serged stitching on the sides and top of the pouch. 

There is no serging on the bottom of the pouch, nor is there a pocket inside the pouch.  The white thread used appears to be rayon and has a nice glossy, satin appearance.  The serging (stitches) can be either dense with the stitches being very close together like a satin stitch (left photo) or loose with the stitches being farther apart (right photo).  The stitching should always be clean, neat and uniform. 

The fabric on these pouches differs from the fabric used for drawstring and snap pouches.  This pouch is made of a soft, lightweight flannel fabric.

This pouch is most commonly used for larger items such as the Elsa Peretti Bone Cuff bracelet , the 1837 collar or bangle bracelets that won't easily fit in the drawstring pouch.  It is also used for odd shaped items and accessories such as pens and key chains.  However, it's not unusual to see other pieces, such as rings or pendants, in this pouch.  The accompanying box will match the shape of the pouch. As of this writing, I've never seen this pouch counterfeited, however, I am constantly on the look out and will update this guide if I ever do spot a fake pouch. 

There are a few things that are common to all AUTHENTIC "Tiffany Blue" drawstring pouches no matter how old the pouch is.

• Fabric - Tiffany's pouch fabric is suede cloth. The fabric is not a smooth nap. It has highs and lows that are visible in clear photos.

  AUTHENTIC

• 99% of fake pouches are made of a cheap, low pile, faux velvet. All of the faux velvet fibers are the same height so the pouch will photograph smooth.  Ironic that even the velvet is fake!

\AUTHENTIC  FAKE

• The size of the AUTHENTIC bags are consistant:
  ~ The most common size is medium 4 1/2" (1 in pics)
  ~ The small size is 3 1/2"
  ~ The smallest size is 2 1/2"
  ~ The less common large sizes are 6 1/2" and 7 1/2"
  These sizes may vary by no more than 1/8" due to the seam allowance.
  
• Notice that all sizes are X and 1/2 inches. The same cannot be said for most fake Tiffany drawstring pouches.
  
• On very rare occassions you may see an odd shaped or much larger drawstring pouch to accomodate a specialty or larger item.  Still, all of the information pertaining to drawstring pouches will also apply to these pouches.
  
• The medium and small AUTHENTIC pouches have approximately 1/2" margin from the top of the pouch to the top row of stitches. (2 in pics)
  
• The AUTHENTIC larger sizes have approximately 1" margin from the top of the pouch to the top row of stitches.
  
• The smallest AUTHENTIC pouch has a 3/8" top margin.
  
• The fake pouches have a much narrower top margin. (see pics)
  
• The fabric on the inside of the AUTHENTIC pouch is EXACTLY the same as the outside of the pouch.
  
• The inside of the AUTHENTIC pouch will have a pocket made of the same suede cloth. The large and odd shaped pouches usually do not have a pocket.
  

 AUTHENTIC     FAKE

• The seams of the AUTHENTIC pouch will be serged using a coordinating thread color.
  - Pouches dating back two or more decades may have a straight stitched seam rather than a serged seam but all else will be the same and you should be able to tell by the fading of the fabric and the imprint that it's an old pouch.
• Note: the size of the Tiffany & Co on the front of the authentic pouch can vary. Newer pouches have smaller type than some of the older pouches.

There are a few things that are common to all
AUTHENTIC Tiffany blue snap pouches no matter how old the pouch is.

• Fabric - Like the drawstring bag, Tiffany's AUTHENTIC snap pouch fabric is suede cloth. The fabric is not a smooth nap. It has highs and lows that are visible in clear photos. 99% of fake snap pouches uses a similar fabric so this is difficult to determine in photos.

           AUTHENTIC     COUNTERFEIT

• The size of the AUTHENTIC pouch is consistant: 2 5/8".
• Both sides AND the bottom of the AUTHENTIC pouch are stitched.  If there's no stitching on the bottom of the pouch, it's undeniably counterfeit.
• AUTHENTIC Snap pouches have gusseted sides and divider pocket made of the same fabric.
• The stitching lines are perfectly straight and perfectly curved around the flap of the AUTHENTIC pouches.
• The back of the snap nipple of the AUTHENTIC pouch has a round piece of matching fabric glued to it so it doesn't scratch the jewelry.
• The brand of all AUTHENTIC Tiffany snaps is marked on the reverse side of the flap's snap. This unique brand ( · ECHT ·  · PRYM · 2B · ) is different than the brand of snap used on any fake Tiffany pouch.  If the snap does not contain these letters, it's a FAKE.
• The reverse side of the AUTHENTIC snap on the flap has a "coin" edge.

IMPORTANT TIPS: 

1. If you're interested in or win an auction that has a pouch similar to the counterfeit pouches in these photos, it's a sure bet the jewelry is also counterfeit. Retract your bid or demand your money back! 
   
2. Make sure the auction has a refund policy if the item is deemed to be counterfeit. 
   
3. ALWAYS pay with PayPal!  PayPal will protect you if the item you receive is counterfeit and the seller refuses to refund your money.  It will take 30 days to receive your refund in that event and you MUST file a claim with PayPal as soon as the seller refuses the refund.  PayPal will usually freeze that amount of your purchase from the seller's account while the claim is being processed.  Acting quickly allows PayPal to freeze that amount before the seller can withdraw all money from the account or close the account completely.
   
4. If you see a counterfeit auction - even if the auction is near completion - REPORT IT! 
   
   Scroll to the bottom of the auction and click the "report this item" link.  Follow the prompts to choose the following three items:  "Counterfeit or copyright violations", "Potential Trademark Infringement", "Countefeit watches or jewelry".  Click the "continue" button.  On the next page, click "email us".  The next page should have the auction number already filled in.  Click "send". 
   
5. A Tiffany hallmark on the jewelry is NOT a guarantee that the item is authentic. Most counterfeit merchandise has some or all of the expected trademarks engraved on the item. Some are well done and unless you have experience with the authentic merchandise and view the hallmarks under a magnifying glass, you may not detect the fake.
   
6. In most cases, authentic Tiffany jewelry is heavier than it's fake. Authentic Tiffany jewelry generally has a nice weight and wonderful smooth, silky feel.
   
7. BEWARE OF "NEW"!!! Tiffany doesn't have sales... EVER. They don't have an outlet store and they don't have outside distribution channels with access to discounted merchandise. The DO have a liberal 30 day exchange/refund policy. 99% of Tiffany items listed as "new" are FAKE.
   
8. If the photos provided with the listing aren't clear enough or close up enough to determine if the item has all of the features of an authentic piece, email the seller and ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for more and better photos. Honest sellers welcome questions!
   
9. Make sure the auction has a refund policy or authenticity guarantee.  If not clearly stated in the auction, email the seller and ask if they guarantee authenticity.  Any answer other than "yes" is a glaring red flag!
   
10. If you should receive a counterfeit piece, email the seller immediately and ask for a refund. I prefer to take the approach that it was an honest mistake... the seller didn't know she was selling fake merchandise. This usually has a better success at getting a quick refund from the seller. Being accusatory puts the seller on the defensive and reduces your chances of a speedy refund.
    
11. If the seller refuses a refund, file a dispute with PayPal and with eBay. The quicker you act, the better chance you have of getting your money back.  Be sure to read my guide "FAKE TIFFANY - How to get your money back".  http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/memasjoys

The following is true of ALL Tiffany jewelry:

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY ENGRAVING is done either by hand or by machine with great precision and the utmost skill.  The engraving on your Tiffany jeweler will be clean and sharp, not muddy (see photos 3a and 3b).  You should NOT see any dot patterns in the engraving (see photo 7).  The engraving on fake pieces is copied and uses a laser technique that produces tiny dots to form the copied lettering.  If you can see dots inside or along the edges of the engraving, it's FAKE!  If you've purchased a piece of Tiffany jewelry and are unsure of the authenticity, be sure to look carefully at the engraving.  Sloppy, off center, tilted or misspelled engraving or dot patterns is an absolute sign of a FAKE .

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY CARE CARDS have only Tiffany & Co. on the front of the card.  There is never more than that one line.  If the card says "Care of Sterling Silver" on the front  it's FAKE!  On the instructions side of the card, each line of the text should be centered. If the care instructions are left justified, it's FAKE!  Care cards are not necessarily included with every Tiffany & Co. purchase.  I've personally purchased many silver pieces from Tiffany & Co. stores around the country and have rarely received the care card so don't be put off if the card isn't included in the auction.

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY POLISHING CLOTHS are NOT routinely included with a purchase.  Tiffany sells polishing cloths in their stores and they are available in two sizes.  In all of my Tiffany purchases I've yet to receive a free polishing cloth.  Including the polishing cloth in an auction is a RED FLAG that the item MAY be FAKE!   

BUYER BEWARE:  This is an excerpt from an actual email I received.  The sender was selling a FAKE Tiffany Heart Toggle Necklace and Bracelet set and knew it was a fake:

"If people want it, I'm sure they are adult enough to know what they are bidding on. That includes researching before they buy. That goes for every item. If they dont want it or think its fake, they dont have to bid on it."    regarding auction #170170783359 

Sadly, the uninformed buyer payed $270 for fake merchandise that the seller probably paid less than $50 for directly from China!  She may well have bought the fakes right here on eBay.  This seller continues unabashedly to sell FAKE Tiffany merchandise on eBay. 

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Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments. If you're not sure about an auction, email me with the auction number. I'll be happy to take a look and give you my opinion.

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