Acquiring a Tiffany-inspired Atlas pendant

I decided to only consider pieces I could order through Amazon.com; that way, I'd have the protection of Amazon's guarantee to fall back on if the transaction went bad. (If you think that's not a concern, read this New York Times article about the danger of shopping with an unknown retailer online.) Even with a safe storefront, ordering a replica can be tricky. I was under the impression that the pieces would all be roughly the same size as the Tiffany version, which wasn't the case. The first pendant I ordered was smaller than I expected, too thin, and irregularly shaped -- in short, a huge disappointment. (Not every vendor supplies detailed information about the jewelry size, and you can't always tell from a picture.) So I returned it. I was tempted to give up at that point and order the real thing, but I decided to give it one more try.

The vendor I ordered from next was Eve's Addiction, and I couldn't be happier with their product. The silver is lovely, the design is perfectly symmetrical, and it looks very high quality. Plus the chain is a nice length and quite sturdy -- not thin and flimsy in the least. (While it didn't come in a gift box, Eve's Addiction included a blue velvet drawstring bag, which I prefer since it takes up less space.) I wear my pendant often and I've gotten lots of compliments on it, so I consider the experience a total win! I have the necklace I wanted, and it didn't bust my budget. (Plus I don't have to worry about it costing a fortune if I lose it. I misplaced mine for a few weeks when I moved, and it was comforting to know that I could afford to replace it if necessary.)

See my links below for Tiffany-inspired products from Eve's Addiction on Amazon.com -- and eBay auctions of authentic Tiffany items.

Product photo from Amazon.com. Image of Atlas replica necklace being modeled copyright 2010 John Chancellor; all rights reserved.