Tiffany & Co Jewelry

♥

Today we are going to take a look at jewellery trends in different cultures and countries.  We will of course look back at history to see how it helped mold the jewelry fashion industry into what it is today.  Tiffany Co is always leading to the trend of modern jewelry world. We will focus on specific countries throughout this week and then showcase of few of Gilbert and Frech’s uniquely original designs and see how the influence of style and culture helped to create them.
Some of the earliest pieces of jewellery that were created out of precious metals and gemstones were found in the country of Egypt.  Egyptians mainly used gold and fashioned many items out of this very malleable metal such as armlets, bracelets, head adornments, rings, earrings and even collars.  Some tiffany designer can also get the inspiration of tiffany earrings from Egypt.

Greece also was making their own fashion trends during the BC era and the trend at that time was using beads and designing them into shapes that represented nature such as flowers, shells or beetles.  Greece was wealthy with raw materials and started adorning their  jewelry with precious gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and pearls.  Pearls became the most prized and precious gemstone in jewelry, as well as in tiffanys.  The most rare and beautiful were found in South India and the Persian Gulf.  During the 17th century is when jewelry became an adornment that was acceptable in everyday use.  France was a great influence on the jewelry industry during the early 1800’s.  Victorian jewelry became popular as Queen Victoria reigned and it began to be massed produced and sold all over the world.

♥

During the 1950’s America made its mark with what people would refer to as the Hollywood influence.
Over the years many countries had their influence over the style and trends of Jewelry.  As it was created and shipped to different parts of the world, other cultures added their own unique flare.  It will be fun to take a look this week at specific countries and see what the popular jewelry trend is in their culture today!  Will it be similar to what is popular here in America or will it be completely unique and different?  The world has become smaller with the birth of the internet.  We can get our favorite jewelry from the net with some clicks to the mouse. Every kind of information is available to us know with just the tapping of our fingertips.  Just like that, we can type in and order whatever kind of jewelry we like from whatever country or culture we want.  It is truly an amazing thing.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

 Sadly, a large percentage of Tiffany jewelry sold on eBay is counterfiet.  And, unless you have experience purchase authentic Tiffany jewelery from thier stores or their official website, it can be easy to be fooled into believing the auction item is authentic.   If you fell victim to one of these sellers you CAN get your money back. 

Here’s how….

1. As soon as you suspect that your item may be fake, take one of the following steps: 
   a)  Go to Tiffany dot com and check your item against the photos of the authentic piece. 
   b)  Look at the piece under a magnifying glass.  If the item has links, carefully examine all of the links.  They should be soldered closed.  Look at all of the engraving.  You’re looking for misspellings and small dots in the engraving.  Small dots are a sign of lazer copying.  Tiffany does not use lazer engraving.  They engrave by hand or by machine. 
   c)Send me the auction number so I can review it and offer my opinion. 
   d)  Take the item to your nearest Tiffany & Co. store if there’s one within driving distance.  Tiffany & Co. employees are not allowed to authenticate jewelry but they will tell you if they believe it to be fake.
   e)  Take the item to a reputable, experienced high-end jeweler who has experience with estate pieces.  They may be able to render a good opinion.
2. Once you’re satisfied that you’ve purchased a fake, email the seller.  At this point, I prefer to take the approach that it was an honest mistake.  Assume that the seller didn’t know he/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. Tell the seller that you will be shipping the item(s) back to him/her and expect a full refund, including the shipping fees.  Let him know that you will forward a delivery confirmation as soon as you have one.  Be sure that you’re shipping to the correct address. 
3. If you receive an unfavorable response from the seller or if you don’t receive a timely response, immediately contact eBay’s resolution center to report this auction as a fake:  http://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/ 
4. IMMEDIATELY log on to your PayPal account.  Click the Resolution Center link at he top of the page to open a dispute.  In that dispute, state that the merchandise is counterfeit and that you’ve shipped it back to the seller.  Include the delivery confirmation number.  Shipping the item back expedites your refund.  Note:  no matter what the seller states in the auction, you have 45 days from the payment date to open a dispute.  A seller’s “No Refund” policy is NOT valid in the case of counterfiet items.PayPal will send an email to the seller and will include what you’ve written in the dispute.  PayPal will also immediately freeze the seller’s account for the total amount you’ve paid (including shipping).  The seller should respond to that email. 
5. If the seller responds unfavorably and doesn’t issue a refund, log back on to your PayPal account and escalate the dispute to a claim.  Again, include the delivery confirmation number.  This allows PayPal to track the delivery and verify that the seller has received the return. 
6. After you’ve received your refund, be sure to leave negative feedback for the seller and state that the reason is that the item was proven to be a fake.  This helps to protect future buyers.  As of April 1, 2008 sellers are prohibited from leaving negative feedback for sellers.  You no longer need to fear retaliation for honest feedback! 

What happens now?

You will receive copies of any correspondance the seller sends to PayPal.  If the seller continues to deny the claim, PayPal will investigate.  Most of this is done automatically and you may not hear from PayPal again.  Don’t fret.  On the 30th day from the day your escalated the dispute to a claim, the entire amount of money that you paid to the seller will be returned to your PayPal account.  If PayPal is able to verify the return of the item, you may receive your refund even sooner.

PayPal Policy:  PayPal automatically holds payments for eBay items if the seller…   

• has been an eBay member for less than 6 months and sells and item for more than $100
• has an eBay feedback score of less than 100 and sells and item for more than $100
• has a buyer dissatisfaction percentage greater than 5%
• has an average DSR (detailed seller rating) of less than 4.5
• has received fewer than 20 DSRs in the past 12 months
• is listing in a high-risk category

PayPal will release the hold…

• When the buyer leaves positive feedback
• 3 days pass after proof the item was delivered
• 21 days pass without a dispute, claim, chargeback or reversal filed on the transaction.
  PayPal may hold the funds longer if a dispute, claim, chargeback, reversal or other action to disupte the payment has been filed.

_____________________________

I appreciate the time you spent reading this guide and I sincerely hope you’ve found it helpful.

_____________________________

Welcome to My Blog!

My BLog Address is: http://www.tiffany-jewelry.eu/