The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and e-commerce giant eBay are offering buyers a unique service that will examine the authenticity of fine jewellery sold on the online platform. 

The collaboration will help ensure that buyers can shop for and sellers can sell fine jewellery on eBay with confidence using eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee, said GIA. GIA experts, including gemmologists, will examine eligible jewellery sold on eBay to verify that metal type, purity, and gemstone quality match the seller’s description.

Millions of consumers are expected to benefit from GIA’s expertise through the eBay Authenticity Guarantee for fine jewellery. This service includes new and pre-owned fine jewellery sold for US$500 and up.

Authentication will eventually include fine jewellery by Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. EBay's authentication service currently includes sneakers, watches, handbags and trading cards.

“Jewellery has always been a popular category on the marketplace, and its growth shows how consumer demand is only increasing,” said Tirath Kamdar, general manager of luxury at eBay. 

According to eBay, luxury jewellery sales on the platform have grown significantly over the past year, with sales of Bulgari, David Yurman and Van Cleef & Arpels seeing double-digit month-over-month increases as of May 2022. By comparison, eight fine jewellery pieces were bought every minute on eBay in 2021, reaching a total of more than 4.2 million sales of fine jewellery items.

On average, there are 7.8 million fine jewellery listings on eBay every day. Purchases of fine jewellery from brands like Chopard, Harry Winston and Hermes were up by more than 38 per cent year on year in the past six months, eBay said.