Overseas sellers sell plated 925 or plated gold they say 14k but thats fake too, tophatter does not monitor these sellers thats why so many refunds and cancelled orders, just do not buy from tophatter, waste of time, you tell me where to get 5000 dollar ring for 20 dollars tophatter if it sounds to good to be true then it is. All the people that say its real and everything is great are either first time online buyers or they work as a review panelist for money.

You have to read the descriptions. It will tell you if it's real or plated.

You get what you pay for. If it's a $5 piece of jewelry, the stones aren't imitation or faux (whatever) and the settings have never seen real gold or silver or platinum in their lives.

I think TH should:
1: require sellers to clearly state 'genuine" "natural," "lab-created," "faux" or similar and carat weight for all stones, and for anything claimed to be genuine, provide a certificate of authenticity or appraisal from a recognizable and reputable source,
2: do the same for metals - plated? Filled? Solid? Etc
3: provide a contact button for potential buyers to contact sellers to ask questions

Some of the jewelry on TopHatter IS 100% real. Some are simply costume. Buyers are provided a full description of the items they are interested in. If the description does not say real, chances are? It is a costume item. In which case is usually fine, since not everyone can afford genuine diamonds, and some pieces are just as pretty :)

Avoid Tophatter like the plague they are evil people trying make money on people

If you mean are the stones completely natural gemstones without any process, you need to ask before bidding. It will say natural or no process if they are natural. I have found jewelry accurate.

The descriptions are confusing and mostly, lacking vital info.
It might tell you what one stone is, but not the other/s.
It will tell you the stones are real, but not if they are Natural or Created (big difference, especially in materials cost price).
A bracelet l bought was advertised as gold-filled. Gold filled is electroplated gold on base metal, and is a much thicker layer than plated gold, which is merely dipped. Gold filled will never chip, peel, or wear through - you are essentially wearing gold against your skin.
But this bracelet is showing the base metal after 2 months wear, so it is actually gold plated, not gold filled (again, big difference).
I contacted TH to be told that l had already gone over the 30-days period for returns, so they couldn't (wouldn't!) do anything about it. So l paid about $40 for a piece of Jewellery that was actually worth about $10.
Rip-off! I shall not buy there again.

Chances are, no. There use to be honest sellers there, but now it's just stuff from overseas purchased in bulk! Avoid Tophatter!

I haven't had much success. Avoid seller Valueforbucks as well as any seller from India. I haven't gotten anything that I purchased. Getting my money back has been a nightmare. If you do purchase from Tophatter only buy if you can use PayPal. Tophatter's customer service is HORRIBLE. I had two items that I ordered from Valueforbucks and I never received them. I opened a case and waited nearly 3 months only to have Tophatter's close the case in favor of the seller. Thank goodness I paid with PayPal and was able to get my money back within a week.
I have purchased jewelry and it's costume junk, nothing like the picture or the description.
You are better off buying stuff on Ebay. Some of the sellers on Tophatter also have stores on Ebay.
There have been so many complaints about Tophatter and the guy that started it.

It's costume jewelry unless other wise stated

Not always, it is iffy. TOPHATTER does not support its sellers and at times, does not support buyers either, but buyers are better treated than sellers for sure. As far as real items, stay away from the so called name brand as most are fake, but ask the seller about quality and if fake or not. Most are honest.

If it's real it will say it's real. If not, it says plated or filled.

I love the jewelry I think it's nice. Anyone think they can buy a ruby or diamond's for under $7.00 is the idiot not the company.

It is definitely "costume jewelry, and, in a very cheap costume! Did you really believe those "posted value" prices on the ad? Hardy har har!

None of the jewelry is real I found out.
I tried to return it had to go thru customes along with pay more money to send it back to china.
I'm not satified with there jewelry.

The detail in jewellery items is generally accurate, but sometimes misleading until you have read all the detail. Be very cautious with your live bidding - try to look at the product detail before the auction comes up, or click on the picture when the auction is running, and view the details. You may miss a few items, but you will avoid bidding on items that are not what you expect them to be. Keep an eye on the shipping cost also - it is often just creating a minimum bid, and does not reflect actual shipping costs. Don't forget you can cancel the purchase, if you find it is not what you thought it was.

Never received the ring I purchased, the whole format is flawed and I believe dangerous to consumers a haven for fraud.

There purchase from china BEWARE!

I don't know... I never received what I ordered from them.

Do not believe everything you read, and beware of those posters who say the description will tell you whether the item is real or not. The items are not real. I've purchase from them several times. One of the items was described as a genuine freshwater pearl. It was not. I left a bad feedback and told the company the should not falsely advertise. They changed the description for a little while, but reverted to saying it was freshwater again when it was not. So... buyer beware.

The costume jewelry is ok, but most says sterling silver and gold. The jewelry is not gold nor silver. You can get your money back but they should not be able to give false info. Also their ship dates are way out of they say. I have 2 items that are way past due and there has been no movement on them for over amonth. No response from anyone when i enquire.

It is exactly what it is... a cheap jewelry site. Don't expect much when you only pay a few dollars. Then you won't be disappointed. I have ordered from them for well over a year. Always got what I ordered... maybe it was a long long time from China but I"m sure they are not always readily available. And as far as returning... they send you a return label and it works very simply. If you have a problem and send a picture... they actually give you credit and tell you not to return the item. I never pay big prices and never bid on the ones who have $5 shipping... that is too much for a tiny piece of jewelry. Yes, at times I was really disappointed over the quality because some of the designs are really pretty. I wear junk jewelry for fun. I don't feel bad because it wasn't that expensive and others notice and wonder where I got them. Only bid on your own good taste. Go to the description on the link with details and extra pictures. If you really look closely you can tell which ones are too tacky to wear. They chains are usually too short. But I love getting the tiny surprise packages. And for no more than $10 total... it is fun. They beg you for four stars so they can stay on the site. It was better when it was all jewelry on Ruby and not the "bling' on the Tophatter site. I like Ruby only. I have bought trays to keep my purchases in... and it is fun to go find a ring to match your outfit. I don't like dealing with China because I am sure someone is being underpaid. Hard to believe they send these items from so far for so little. I think it is making other happy. I have never had them rip me off over a long long time. I do use Pay Pal.

I do not bid more then $8-9 dollars for their jewelry as I do not kid myself and expect to pay such a low amount of money and get the real thing. I have bought quite a bit of their jewelry and am for the most part pleased. I purchase with the understanding that it is cheap costume jewelry and some shipped from China (great sign it will be pretty, but cheaply made). Some of the pieces have been very well made and pretty. I only received 1 ring that tarnished the 3rd or 4th time I wore it. The ring is pretty. I just painted the band with a paint made for metal and it was okay. I don't kid myself from the beginning and I don't mind losing an occasional $5-10 bucks. I would never go above that amount though because I don't have trust in the quality. I suggest you do it for fun and don't bid more than what you can afford to lose. Bidding is similar to gambling. You don't spend what you can't afford to lose, take a risk and do it for fun.

Don't buy anything plated. It's junk and whatever metal the ring is plated with wears off quickly. The only times these rings are ok is if they are worn very little.

They claim real gemstones, for example peridot, but all it is, is a piece of glass.

There. 999 24kt gold (clad) what the...! They should have to print it in plain english, not b s peopel. It may say, 999 24 kt gold, but it's not. Not at all its actually maybe 24kt gold sprayed over a cheap no value metal. I was under impression. Cinco it states. 999 25kt. Gold I was getting exactly that. Now I'm stuck with 14 bats of crap. I couldn't scrape enough gold off of all of then to ale 1 small10kt. Ring. And I was refunded 1 I bought by accident. But a week later I found out what clad. Enter no refund any mors just a bunch bill crap. So be ware read everythingVeryCarefuly!.

Jewelry is FAKE even when it says it's real. So "Sterling" is cheaply plated? With a silver color. "Stones" are plastic... not amethyst, not emerald, not topaz... PLASTIC. You can buy the same on Ebay for less and get better customer service. But if you like the thrill of "winning" overpriced junk, Tophatter is a good place to kill an hour.