Weiss closed its doors in 1971. So when you buy real Weiss jewelry, you know you are adding to your vintage costume jewelry collection--right?  Beware of contemporary fakes that have been flooding the market for the past year or so. You can find fakes very easily on eBay. Just type "Weiss" in the search engine.  You will find thousands of listings, too many listings for the fairly scarce, signed vintage jewels. Remember, Weiss produced a great deal of unsigned jewelry.

Many dealers selling items on eBay out of their homes are essentially honest and just can't tell the difference.
 
Other dealers know  they're selling contemporary fakes. They sell them in auction after auction with the same pieces listed over and over. Some even sell multiple pieces in large  lots. Most do not show images of the backs of the jewelry, but that doesn't always protect new collectors. When they first came onto the market, I saw these  jewels sell for $60 to $100.  I accidentally ended up buying one in a larger assortment of jewelry. Not knowing what else to do with it, I sold it on eBay as "Fake Weiss." Hope it educated a few prospective Weiss buyers!

After investigation, I found that there are several dealers on eBay routinely selling the fakes. These folks have been reported to eBay to no avail, mainly because those who  moniter eBay auctions often can't tell a fake from a real piece.  It might not even be illegal to sell it, as long as the dealer does not list  in the  vintage and antique categories. But listing any new jewelry as "Weiss" is misleading. 

The counterfeit jewelry is manufactured by a Rhode Island plant. They  have now branched off into making earrings to go with the "Weiss" jewels, and are making fake Eisenburg and Lisner as well.  

This contemporary "Weiss" jewelry is generally pretty and colorful, but cheaply made.  Its okay to buy a fake Weiss as long as you know what it is and pay accordingly--about $10.  It's too bad the manufacturers don't just leave their jewels unsigned or sign their own names.

In fact, some buyers are catching on to the deception, due to the fact that the market is now flooded with fakes. This is gradually driving the prices down; but still, these sellers make the bank on holiday & other gift-giving times. There are even buyers who know it's fake and collect it. The jewelry is pretty!  But it  just is not vintage.

1. There are several ways to spot fakes, but the easiest is to look at the backs. Most of them have the textured backs of inexpensive contemporary jewelry. Click on pictures to open larger, more detailed images:

2. If you are still unsure, check out the dealer. First, ask the dealer if the jewel is vintage or contemporary. Many are honest. Also, check out the number of Weiss items the seller is offering. If almost all their stock is "Weiss," all the "Weiss" is colorful and in pristine condition, or if they list more than one identical piece or list large lots of only Weiss jewelry,  go elsewhere. 

One of many auctions of fake Weiss Christmas tree collections:

3. Go to reputable dealers and  antique jewelry fairs to look at and handle real Weiss jewelry. That will give you knowledge beyond the scope of this article, and be much more helpful in teaching you to not only spot fakes, but to date jewelry and learn jewelry construction as well.

Good luck with your collection!

Rebecca Fransway
12-05-2005