Tiffany & Co Gun: Real or Fake?

A photo circulating online shows a gun which appears to be sold by Tiffany & Co. Today we examine if this this gun is real or fake.

The gun is real, but it is not sold by Tiffany’s.

The popular photo shows a two-toned Kahr PM9 pistol, draped with a Tiffany’s necklace, in a matching Tiffany & Co. box. The image began circulating on social media sites in late 2013, with many readers asking where they could obtain one.

The gun is real, but it is not a product of Tiffany’s. It originates from Kilo Guns, located in Phoenix, Arizona. The story was researched by this blogger who discovered that owner Wyatt Mahan customized the Kahr’s finish to match the Tiffany’s box. It was also reported that Tiffany’s demanded that Mahan stop associating his guns with their brand and using their patented Tiffany blue color.

You can see some more refinishing work by Kilo Guns here.

According to a November 2014 CNN article, Tiffany & Co. did create a line of bejeweled guns beginning in the late 1880s. However, the project was cancelled in 1911 after Tiffany manufactured roughly 50 guns.

This reminds us of the DEWALT nail gun rifle which occasionally circulates online. See the full story on that gun here.

History

The Google Trends graph below shows interest in the Tiffany & Co. gun over time. Interest steadily increased from October of 2013 through May of 2014. Since May 2014, interest appears to have experienced a significant decline to the point that it does not register on Google Trends, followed by a renewed surge in September 2015.

Video

The video below summarizes the information in this article.

Bottom Line

The photo of a gun from Tiffany & Co. is a real photo, but the gun is not a product of Tiffany’s. It was refinished to match a Tiffany’s box by Kilo Guns.

Updated December 9, 2015
Originally published January 2014