If you’re part of the antique jewelry Instagram community then you already know that our little corner of the world is having a huge problem with antique jewelry fraud right now.
What do I mean by online antique jewelry fraud? It’s when a piece of antique jewelry for sale online turns out to be fake in some way: either it’s a reproduction (a newer piece made to look old) it’s not all original (parts of it aren’t old) or it’s just not what it says it is (fake stones, replacement parts, etc).
Antique jewelry fraud can be an accident: unintentional ignorance on the part of an immature or inexperienced online seller who just doesn’t know enough. Other times it’s premeditated, malicious, intentional criminal activity.
Whatever the seller’s situation, the end result of online antique jewelry fraud is the same: a buyer who thinks they’re buying something precious and rare is instead tricked out of their money.
Antique jewelry fraud:
11 ways to protect yourself online.
There’s no way to be 100% sure you’ll never be a victim of antique jewelry fraud when shopping online, but there are things you can do to try to reduce the chances – or to minimize the damage if the worst does happen.
Look at a seller’s whole online presence.
There is an eBay seller who likes to steal pictures from my blog to use in fake listings. Here’s one:
A fraudulent eBay listing featuring a picture of me that was stolen from my website.
If you look at the eBay seller’s other listings, you’ll see that her photos are all stolen from more than a dozen different sources: her photos are in different styles, picturing different people, even celebrities (I’ve seen her use photos of the Queen of England).
Someone like this is obviously up to no good, and it only takes a few extra minutes of sleuthing for this kind of blatant antique jewelry fraud to become very apparent. Take the extra time to look at a seller’s other items – including their other social media profiles, if they’re listed – and see if they appear to have a consistent, trustworthy-feeling online presence.
Good reviews and a comprehensive online presence can be faked, but if someone doesn’t even bother to try to appear trustworthy, you definitely shouldn’t be fooled by them.
(And if you want to see more of that necklace, you can see my original blog post here.)
Don’t fall for flash.
Anyone can use the word “Georgian” in an authoritative manner or take a beautiful ring tray picture. Don’t be fooled by good branding or a large Instagram following: if someone can’t prove that they have the knowledge or experience to be selling antique jewelry, you shouldn’t buy from them.
Look at all of a seller’s offerings and consider the complete story their listings tell. Do they give facts, or just use flowery language? Do their facts check out?
Keep an eye out for anomalies. For example, does a dealer have two identical Georgian giardinetti rings, an extremely rare find that you’re unlikely to see twinsies of? It’s possible that you’re witnessing something very unusual but genuine in action…but it should give you pause. If a dealer has even one piece for sale that make you say huh, you should think very carefully before buying anything from them.
Educate yourself.
If you love antique jewelry and want to buy it, the best thing that you can do is develop your own knowledge.
There are some fantastic books about antique jewelry that you can try to find at your local library if you’re not ready to make space on your shelf. You can also check #IGJewelryBooks, the new jewelry book rec Instagram hashtag, to see what other jewelry lovers are reading.
I want to review more jewelry books here for you in 2019, but I do have a Pinterest board dedicated to jewelry books I own or want to own.
For quick jewelry facts, my favorite resource is Lang Antiques’ Antique Jewelry University. It’s a whole library of antique jewelry information and it’s not only produced by a reputable source, its articles all include bibliographies.
I also strongly recommend following antique jewelry Instagrammers who are passionate about education. Kim of Estate Jewelry Mama, Lisa of Lisa Kramer Vintage, Hayden Peters of the Art of Mourning, and Nicholle of Jewelry Nerd are knowledgeable, experienced sources I love to follow for antique jewelry education, as well as Laurie Geller and Kil Jewelry. Keep an eye on their stories and IG lives for realtime educational content.
Education is antique jewelry fraud’s greatest enemy.
Get a good look – ask for photos.
You should never buy a piece of antique jewelry without seeing it from every major angle: especially the back of the piece.
When you’re considering buying a piece, look at it carefully: does it have seams where it looks like the different parts have been attached to each other, or is it smooth? Are the stones set in the same style throughout the the piece? When you look at the back and sides, does it all still look like it was made at the same time?
The seller should be able to explain every ding, nick, seam, or inconsistency. Antiques always show “wear commensurate with age” which just means “stuff happens to a 100+ year old piece of jewelry” but if the piece bears obvious repair marks, joins, or solder spots, you should always ask about them.
The front and back of a beautiful, authentic antique brooch from Joden Jewelry.
The backs and sides of things are where people who make fake reproductions are the most likely to slip up. It’s also where you’re the most likely to be able to tell if a piece is actually a conversion piece, or a “marriage” – that’s when more than one piece of jewelry is joined together to make a new piece, like a Victorian era stickpin turned into a ring or a Georgian era brooch that’s turned into a necklace.
If a seller’s photos don’t let you see every angle of a piece, ask for more photos. If they won’t give you more photos, don’t buy from them.
Ask questions.
It’s much more fun to buy something in a rush – to just say “I’ll take it!!” without thinking twice. But for almost all of us, antique jewelry is a major purchase and it’s worth taking the time to make sure you’re getting what you think you’re getting.
If a seller says they’re offering a rare 9 karat gold French mourning ring that an earl’s daughter wore in memory of her father in the late 1700s, that person should be able to explain the facts behind that description. How do they know it’s French? What makes them think it’s a mourning piece? How do they know who wore it? How did they date it? Did they test the gold themselves, or have an outside appraisal done? Is the piece all original, or has it had repairs?
I’m not advocating being a pain in the butt – but if someone is going to offer rare, expensive antiques for sale they should be able to explain to any buyer how they evaluate their merchandise.
If a seller won’t take the time to answer your questions or can’t provide satisfactory answers, they don’t deserve your trust (or your money).
Here’s another batch of unusual and utterly exquisite antique rings! I don’t know the exact age of these beauties because I was too excited about taking pictures of them to take good notes, but they’re also in the same 1700’s-1800’s range.
Antique Jewelry Shows 101: an introduction.
