Tiffany key

[sunsetpainter]

How can I tell if this is real tiffany & co?

[pammyvan]

Tiffany jewelry is probably one of the most counterfeited jewelry companies. First, check to make sure  it is really sterling. Do you have a magnet? See if the key sticks to the magnet. If it does, it's not sterling. I would check online and see if there are a lot of listings for this key. And what prices they are selling for. If there are a multitude of listings for lower prices, then that should be a red flag. Other than that, try to find one you think might be real and compare pictures. Good luck

[labbypaws]

Go to forum.purseblog.com

Scroll down to the jewelry forum. There is an Authenticate this Jewelry subforum. Try there. I don’t see an Authenticate This under Tiffany otherwise I would direct you there.

If they can’t help then ask them where to direct your authentication.

You can also see if you can find jsales here or elsewhere.  She used to sell antiques.  She might be able to help.

[sunsetpainter]

I picked this up at an estate sale from the "richer" side of town, but it was only a dollar or two. I've looked on and off for weeks and haven't been able to find this exact design at all, which leads me to believe it's not real. Thanks for the magnet tip, pammyvan .  It did not stick to a magnet so maybe it is silver.

ETA:  I like it and wear it anyway.

[Deleted]

I don't know Tiffany well enough to authenticate it but I (personally) found what I suspected to be an authentic Tiffany keychain at a thrift store.

I had it authenticated by A4U.

[sunsetpainter]

I actually found one on lyst.com and did a double take until I realized that one was 18k gold with diamonds! lol

[Deleted]

Hi All,

i was asked to check check in and hope all are doing well. I don’t know Tiffany well enough to uthenticate as I only collect Peretti. I agree with going to the jewelry board of the tPF but regardless of what they say, I know I would never buy Tiffany on the internet without a professional authentication and authenticate4u definitely does Tiffany and only charges $7.50 I know Peretti well and still use them for all my own purchases, 

None of us ever want to see anyone throwing good money after bad so before you go to a pro:

1. Without looking at the piece, run your fingers over every surface. If you feel any jagged or irregular edges ( excluding signs of obvious damage) it can’t be genuine IMO.

2. Looking at it, note undersides and under edges and see if there are any bubbles or casting irregularities or roughness. Again, the piece should be perfect. 

3. If it passes those two tests, post on tPF (the purse forum)

4. If they authenticate, then use A4U

Good Luck and hope it’s genuine.

If not, please scrap it when you have enough silver to scrap so that it stays out of circulation. I hear that you like it, but hope that I can change your mind about wearing it if it’s fake. You don’t want it to get back into circulation someday. You may have only paid $1 but someone else could get ripped for $100 or more.

Also, and with respect, the magnet test is certainly valid for silver but silver is really pretty cheap as a precious metal and most counterfeit Tiffany silver is still made of sterling. Only the super junk is made of base.

[sunsetpainter]

Thank you @jsales0.  That's very good information!  Much appreciated!

[Deleted]

I don't know much about Tiffany but I think that piece is fake -- the triangles around the quatrefoil don't look perfectly spaced, and the raised edge is uneven in parts. Just a guess, but I'd expect more attention to detail in a real piece.

Also, I never realized just how many different key designs Tiffany has!

www.tiffany.com/jewelry/tiffany-keys/sterling-silver/no-gemstone/sort-relevance

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2018 17:06:06 GMT @ahrncitygal said:

I don't know much about Tiffany but I think that piece is fake -- the triangles around the quatrefoil don't look perfectly spaced, and the raised edge is uneven in parts. Just a guess, but I'd expect more attention to detail in a real piece.

Also, I never realized just how many different key designs Tiffany has!

www.tiffany.com/jewelry/tiffany-keys/sterling-silver/no-gemstone/sort-relevance

The current items are all trefoils.  

ETA: Apparently, they do (or did) make quatrefoils: 

www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1412&bih=700&ei=QWWRW-DcI--qggeKu7mICA&q=tiffany+quatrefoil+key&oq=tiffany+quatre&gs_l=img.1.2.0i24l3.1056.7594..9823...2.0..0.120.1084.15j1......2....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j35i39j0i30j0i5i30.unOlv-gu7Y4

[labbypaws]

Thanks Alberta & jsales for stopping by.

[Deleted]

I'm no expert by any means, but the reason I think it's fake (sorry) is that the 'bit' (the part that's perpendicular to the barrel at the end of the key) does not have a definitive 'T' shape cut out of it like all of the other Tiffany keys I've seen. Yours has a somewhat rounded 'T' shape.  What I've seen is either a sharp Tiffany 'T' cut out, or the letter 'T' itself as the bit. But like I said, no expert, just an observation.

[sunsetpainter]

I'm pretty sure it's fake. Thanks all!

[Emerald_Door]

Here are pictures of their current styles. You know these are authentic because it's the Tiffany website.
www.tiffany.com/search/sterling-key/sort-relevance-search?trackbgfm=pdp

It could be an older style, but I'm skeptical.

If you live near a Tiffany store you could take it in for cleaning. My understanding is that they won't authenticate, but they won't clean a fake.

[betabutton]

What a terrific tip, that they won’t clean a fake but do provide continuing service for authentic Tiffany goods. Thank you.

[Emerald_Door]

I haven't tried it myself, because I don't live near a Tiffany store and haven't been to one in years, but I've read that advice several times over the years.