Walk into 25 Old Bond Street and the box arrives before the explanation does. That's the Tiffany trick, and it's a good one: the blue is trademarked, the ribbon is a ritual, and by the time you're holding the thing you've half-forgotten to ask what, precisely, you're holding. This guide is the asking part. What the collections actually are, what they cost in the UK, and the handful of things, hallmarks among them, that the box doesn't mention.

In Brief: Tiffany & Co., founded in New York in 1837 and now owned by LVMH, organises its jewellery into a handful of named collections, Return to Tiffany, Elsa Peretti, Tiffany T, Lock, HardWear, and the Tiffany Setting for engagement rings, each with its own price floor and character. Entry-level sterling silver starts around £260 to £300; gold starts just under £800 and climbs quickly into the thousands. Tiffany's UK flagship is 25 Old Bond Street, Mayfair. The house cleans gold and platinum jewellery free of charge (silver cleaning carries a fee), and engagement rings come with lifetime care. UK hallmarking law applies to Tiffany silver and gold the same as any other brand's; buying new from Tiffany or an authorised stockist settles the question, buying secondhand from an unverified seller doesn't.

The name on the box is doing real work, and it's earned

Charles Lewis Tiffany opened his first store on Broadway in 1837, originally selling stationery and fancy goods under the name Tiffany, Young and Ellis, before the business narrowed to jewellery and silver. The house's defining technical contribution came in 1886: the Tiffany Setting, a six-prong ring design that lifts a diamond clear of the band to maximise the light reaching it, which became, and remains, the standard template for a solitaire engagement ring across the entire trade. LVMH completed its acquisition of Tiffany in January 2021, after a contentious deal that nearly collapsed the year before, for roughly $15.8 billion, the largest acquisition in LVMH's history. (The longer story of the house is in our history of Tiffany & Co.)

That history is the reason the box carries weight. It is not, on its own, a reason to buy any particular piece, which is where the collections come in.

The collections, and what each one is actually for

Return to Tiffany, inspired by a 1969 key-ring design, is the entry point for most first-time buyers: sterling silver heart-tag bracelets, pendants and bead bracelets, engraved with "Please Return to Tiffany & Co." It's recognisable, giftable, and one of the cheapest routes into genuine Tiffany, with heart-tag bead bracelets starting at £300 and the larger silver styles running up to roughly £600 to £800.

Elsa Peretti, in the house since 1974, is a different proposition: sculptural, organic forms designed by an artist, not a brand team, of which the Open Heart pendant is the signature piece. A sterling silver Open Heart pendant starts at £260 for the 7 mm size and £335 for 11 mm; the same design in 18ct gold moves into four figures. Peretti's designs are the collection most likely to be mistaken for something from an entirely different, smaller studio, which is precisely their appeal.

Tiffany T, launched in 2014 as Francesca Amfitheatrof's first collection as the house's design director, is the current flagship gold line: graphic, architectural pieces named for the Tiffany initial. The mini T Smile pendant in yellow gold is the entry point at £765; the Narrow Wire Bracelet is £2,325, and the full Wire Bracelet £2,900 in rose gold or £3,275 in yellow.

Lock and HardWear are the newer, industrial-inspired collections. HardWear, launched in 2017 and based on a 1971 bracelet from the Tiffany archive, is built around a chunky gauge link and comes in sterling silver as well as gold, with the silver Micro Link Bracelet at £860 and gold link bracelets running well into the thousands. Lock, launched in 2022 around a padlock-and-swivel mechanism, is gold only: rings start at £1,300, while the bangles that define the collection start at £4,475 for the narrow version and £7,000 for the full yellow gold bangle.

The Tiffany Setting is the collection most people arrive for without knowing its name: the six-prong engagement ring, sold in a range of diamond qualities and carat weights, with pricing driven almost entirely by the stone, not the setting itself.

What a first purchase actually costs

A realistic entry point is somewhere between £260 and £800: a Return to Tiffany silver bracelet or a small Elsa Peretti pendant, both fully representative of the house, not a diluted starter tier. Stepping up to gold starts just under £800 for a mini Tiffany T Smile pendant, around £1,300 for a Lock ring and £2,325 for the Narrow Wire bracelet, and engagement rings are priced on the diamond, so there's no meaningful floor to quote.

What you are not paying for, at the entry level, is rarity. A Return to Tiffany bracelet is a design made in volume, and its value lies in recognisability and the brand's own quality control, not in scarcity the way a limited Elsa Peretti piece or an estate Tiffany Setting diamond might carry.

The hallmark question nobody at the counter raises

Here's the part worth knowing before you buy, particularly secondhand. UK law requires gold, silver, platinum and palladium jewellery over a set weight, 7.78 grams for silver, 1 gram for gold, to carry a full UK hallmark from one of the four Assay Offices (or an International Convention mark, which the UK also recognises) before it can be sold as precious metal, regardless of where the piece was made. Tiffany's own silver carries its "TIFFANY & CO" stamp and a fineness mark such as 925, which identifies the metal content but is not itself a UK hallmark in the legal sense. Our guide to UK jewellery hallmarks explains how to read a full mark.

Buying new, directly from Tiffany's UK boutiques or website, this isn't something you need to think about: Tiffany, as the importer and retailer, is responsible for UK compliance on what it sells here. Buying secondhand, from a private seller or an unauthorised reseller, is a different matter. Collector forums discussing exactly this question report real confusion among people trying to resell Tiffany silver in the UK, since a maker's mark and a fineness stamp alone don't satisfy the Hallmarking Act for anything above the weight exemption. It's not a reason to avoid secondhand Tiffany, which is a legitimate and often better-value way to buy, but it's a reason to ask, before you pay, whether the piece carries an actual UK Assay Office mark alongside the Tiffany stamp, and to factor the absence of one into the price if it's missing.

Authenticity, beyond the hallmark

Tiffany is one of the most counterfeited names in jewellery, and the brand stamp is the easiest part of a fake to copy convincingly. The more reliable checks are weight, finish and construction: genuine pieces are noticeably solid for their size, with clean, consistent soldering and none of the slightly-too-light, slightly-too-rough feel of a copy. For anything bought outside an authorised Tiffany channel, buying from a specialist dealer who offers an authenticity guarantee is worth the modest premium over an unverified private sale.

Caring for it, and what Tiffany itself will do

Tiffany cleans gold and platinum jewellery free of charge at its stores, including the Old Bond Street flagship, checking stones and prongs as it goes; sterling silver cleaning is available for a fee. Engagement rings come with what Tiffany calls a lifetime of service: complimentary cleaning and inspection for as long as you own the ring, and complimentary resizing on solitaire diamond rings. Day to day, the advice is the same as for any fine jewellery: sterling silver is best kept dry and stored separately once polished, and gold and platinum pieces tolerate a mild, non-abrasive cleaner between professional visits. Overzealous home polishing is the main thing that damages a finish Tiffany itself would otherwise maintain. Our jewellery care guide covers the basics for every metal.

Where to actually go

For seeing the full range in person, Tiffany & Co., 25 Old Bond Street, Mayfair, is the UK flagship, with Tiffany's own diamond experts on hand for engagement ring consultations, which are free and worth booking ahead of a weekend visit. For secondhand or estate Tiffany, check the piece against the hallmark question above before you commit, and favour a specialist dealer over an unverified private listing for anything beyond pocket money.

Quick Reference

CollectionCharacterEntry price (GBP)
Return to TiffanySterling silver, engraved heart tag, most accessible£300–£800 in silver
Elsa PerettiSculptural, artist-designed; silver Open Heart from £260£260–£1,500+
Tiffany TGraphic gold motif, current flagship lineFrom £765 (mini Smile pendant)
HardWearIndustrial gauge link, silver and goldFrom £860 in silver; gold into the thousands
LockPadlock-inspired, gold onlyRings from £1,300; bangles from £4,475
Tiffany SettingEngagement rings; priced on the diamondNo fixed floor

FAQ

What's the cheapest way to buy genuine Tiffany? A small sterling silver Elsa Peretti Open Heart pendant, at £260, or a Return to Tiffany Heart Tag Bead Bracelet, at £300. Both are full, representative Tiffany designs, not a diluted starter range.

Does Tiffany jewellery carry a UK hallmark? Tiffany's own stamp identifies its metal content (for example, 925 for sterling silver) but is not itself a UK Assay Office hallmark. Items sold new through Tiffany's UK boutiques or website are the retailer's responsibility to make compliant; for secondhand pieces above the legal weight exemption, check for an actual UK hallmark alongside the Tiffany stamp before buying.

Is Tiffany & Co. owned by LVMH? Yes. LVMH completed its acquisition of Tiffany in January 2021, for a deal valued at roughly $15.8 billion, the largest acquisition in LVMH's history.

What is the Tiffany Setting? The six-prong diamond ring design Charles Lewis Tiffany introduced in 1886, which lifts the stone above the band to maximise light and brilliance. It remains the standard template copied across the engagement ring trade.

Where is Tiffany's flagship UK store? 25 Old Bond Street, Mayfair, London. It offers the full jewellery range, engagement ring consultations with Tiffany diamond experts, and in-store cleaning, free for gold and platinum.

Is secondhand Tiffany worth buying? Yes, provided the piece is verified. Check weight, finish and construction against known genuine examples, confirm a UK hallmark is present on anything above the legal weight exemption, and buy from a specialist dealer offering an authenticity guarantee instead of an unverified private listing for anything beyond pocket money.

Sources: Tiffany & Co. and Tiffany & Co. UK product, store and client care pages; LVMH; Wikipedia; GOV.UK Hallmarking Guidance Notes, accessed September-October 2026. Prices are as listed on tiffany.co.uk in October 2026 and will change.