By: Aidan Taylor By: Aidan Taylor | July 20, 2022 | Watches & Jewelry,
As the site’s luxury market continues to skyrocket, eBay has expanded its authentication program to include fine jewelry. That means all new and pre-owned luxe jewelry with a price of $500 or more from brands including Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. will be absolutely guaranteed authentic.
This service will be the online retailer’s fifth authentication category, alongside existing programs for the authentication of designer sneakers, watches, handbags and trading cards. Toward this end, eBay has teamed with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
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“Jewelry has always been a popular category on the marketplace, and its growth shows how consumer demand is only increasing,” Tirath Kamdar, GM of Luxury at eBay, says in a press release. “As we continue to listen to our community of luxury enthusiasts in order to foster an even more trusted shopping and selling environment, expanding Authenticity Guarantee to jewelry was a crucial next step for our luxury business.”
Since eBay first introduced the Authenticity Guarantee in 2020, the company has authenticated more than 2,000,000 items estimated at a value of more than $5 million.
Jewelry authentication will be available for all eligible listings on the site by the end of 2022.
GIA brings 90 years of expertise in fine jewelry to help ensure customers have complete faith in their purchases. Experts will conduct multi-point inspections on each jewelry item, looking at the metal type, purity and gemstone quality to certify authenticity.
Authenticated jewelry will receive a unique authenticity card and QR code which buyers can scan to see all the piece’s documentation and authentication history. If an item is returned, it is inspected by experts before being sent back to the seller as well, to ensure it's the authentic item that was returned.
“GIA is the trusted independent source of knowledge, standards and education in gems and jewelry,” Pritesh Patel, GIA Chief Operating Officer, says in a press release. “Our mission is to protect consumers. Collaborating with eBay on its Authentication Guarantee extends our mission, helping to protect the millions of eBay fine jewelry buyers and sellers.”
Eight pieces of fine jewelry were bought every minute on eBay in 2021, and that number continues to grow in 2022. With this new program, buyers can shop stress-free without worrying about whether or not the items they are purchasing are real or very shiny dupes.
Visit eBay’s new jewelry authentication center online to shop certified, pre-owned pieces that will last a lifetime, and to add something new to your collection.
Photography by: Courtesy of eBay