Trifari Jelly Belly Orchid Pin -- Comparison of Real and Fake

Trifari JB Orchid -- Comparison of
Real and Fake

On the left is a scan of a (presumably) genuine (I'll refer to it as "real;" that's faster to type) Trifari jelly belly orchid, taken from "American Costume Jewelry, 1935-1950" by Brunialti and Brunialti. (Please buy this fabulous book, if you can!) On the right is a scan of the "fake" Trifari jelly belly orchid, from my personal collection. (No, I didn't pay a "real" price for it.)

According to Carole Ann Ashley, an expert in costume jewelry reproduction, the Orchid fake JB is very, very good. It's very hard to detect. At the VF&CJ minicon at Beaver Falls, PA in 1998, Carole indicated one clue: apparently, the weight of the piece is "off." However, if you've not held both pieces, a difference in weight is not a particularly useful distinction. But, through careful observation of my "fake" piece and photos of the "real" piece, I think I've hit upon a pretty reliable way to detect the "fake."

As you can see, I've drawn a line across each pic, at the level of the BOTTOM of little bell that houses the rhinestone stamens. On the "real" piece, look at the middle stamen. The line falls pretty much where the top baguette ends and the bottom baguette begins. Not so on the "fake," at right. The juncture of the top and bottom baguettes falls below the line. Additionally, there's a bit of goldtone setting showing at the top of the stames, which does not appear to be visible on the "real" piece. Therefore, proportionately, the stamens on the "fake" are not placed the same as they are on the "real" orchid.

Also, take a look at the stamens themselves. On the "real" piece, the baguettes are a bit more slender, and the goldtone setting which holds them is also more slender, and shows very little metal on the sides. On the "fake" piece, the baguettes are a bit fatter, and the goldtone setting is fatter. The baguettes look like they're resting in the setting, like bread in a pan. On the "real" piece, the baguettes appear to sit more on top, covering most of the setting. (Bear in mind that all I have to work with here is a photo; I can only hope that my observations would be borne out by looking at a genuine orchid.)

The rest of the "fake" appears to be very close to the original. However, some of the lucite petals don't seem to be set as snugly in the setting as they are on the "real" orchid. Another indication that this piece, although pretty well made, isn't as well made as the "real thang." :-) And remember -- ALWAYS check the back of the piece! Many "fakes" are not as well finished on their reverse as are "real" pieces. This is especially true of Trifari jewelry, as the pieces are invariably finished well, even on the reverse. This "fake" orchid is not uniformly finished on the back, although it's better than some I have seen.

I do not know what is marked on the back of the "real" piece. However, the back of the "fake" is marked thusly: "138652" (I think -- poor finishing has partially obscured it) and "Trifari" with the crown over the "T." The "Trifari" mark is not particularly sharp, and looks like a second-generation impression, as could occur if a repro artist took molded impressions of a "real" orchid. The crown looks like a line with 3 dots above it.

In my opinion, $90 - $110 is probably a fair price for the fake; if you pay much more, you're buying "new" at an "old" price.

If you'd like to weigh in with your own opinions on this comparison, please email me at dkos@radix.net.

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