How to Spot a Fake Cartier Love Bracelet
Lovers around the world covet the Cartier love bracelet. It is no wonder why so many fall prey to fake dealers. Read on for tips to spot fake Cartier bracelets.
Jewelry is an anomaly in the segment of luxury goods around the world. Coveted pieces like the Cartier love bracelet are high in demand globally. Hence, it is no surprise that branded goods sell in fewer numbers than non-branded ones.
The artificial industry has ruled the world for a while now, all in part due to the surge in demands for coveted and timeless pieces like those of Cartier’s. Since financial limitations prevent people from enjoying the real deal, they have to resort to copies of items they desire.
This is a fact that manufacturers capitalize upon. They bring replicas and fake copies of original pieces so that buyers with limitations can enjoy wearing the real brand’s name. Several sellers in the secondary market also excel in duping people in the name of originals. They try to pass off fake pieces claiming to be in original condition with tags and stickers attached so that naive buyers would not suspect they are buying a fake piece at the original’s current value.
Many claim to sell Cartier love bracelets in unused state at perfect market prices, easily convincing uninformed buyers of the piece’s authenticity. It is all too common to fall prey to tricksters, especially in the secondary market, but we are here to equip you against them.
Read on to discover all our incredible tips to spot a fake Cartier love bracelet from an original one.
THE ORIGINAL CARTIER LOVE BRACELET
Aldo Cipullo designed the Cartier Love bracelet originally in 1969 for the brand Cartier. This love bracelet gained popularity far and wide that it has retained its superior status as the most coveted and recognized piece of designer jewelry.
Even the modern innovations in the style and design have stayed true to the iconic bracelet’s reputation, so its market value remains at an all-time high. The bracelet has a unisex design; most celebrities flash the bracelets on their wrists, and so do the fashion-forwards and trendsetters.
If you have paid close attention to this must-have Cartier piece, you must have noted the creation’s engravings, embossed characters, materials, screws, etc. Cartier’s other love pieces, including rings, luxury watches, necklaces, earrings, etc., are just as popular as the love bracelets.
You will note several A-listers, including celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunia, and royals like Kate Middleton, often sporting Cartier love bracelet with a stack of others statement pieces.
Unfortunately, with such immense popularity come very unpleasant and unwanted effects. The Cartier love bracelet is also the luxury accessory with most counterfeits and fakes on the market. If you are particularly looking for a pre-owned Cartier love bracelet, the risk of falling for a fake piece is high.
Here is why we have a list of tips to help you identify a fake Cartier love bracelet. After all, nothing compares to the original, right?
TIPS TO SPOT A FAKE CARTIER LOVE BRACELET
Since Cartier does not engage in authenticity processes anymore, it is up to you to do all you can to ensure you get your hands on an original piece. It’s time to sharpen your eyes, be your advocate, and boost your wisdom to catch dupers in the market.
1. ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE STAMPS
The stamps should be your first evidence of the bracelet’s authenticity. Many of the fake pieces will have the Cartier logo on the bracelet’s sides, with the font often smudged. If it’s an original Cartier love bracelet, you will find the logo stamped only on one side, too, in clear and crisp cursive.
Secondly, the font is of crucial importance here. No one can mistake the Cartier stamp, so always go with a picture of the original to compare it against the piece you wish to buy. Compare the design traits of the original with the one in your hand. Examine the styles and widths, look for the screws and cuffs, etc. The real stamps will always look bold, legible, and neat, and the fake ones will always look poor.
2. RESEARCH
You must never go shopping for a Cartier love bracelet without some preliminary research first. Please browse through the brand’s original website, learn as much information as possible regarding the history, materials, finishing, designs, etc.
If you see a style, metal type, gemstone color that you can’t locate on Cartier’s website, be wary of it’s authenticity. Of course, there are older models that are no longer produced that you won’t find on the current Cartier website, but those are few and far in-between.
Also, note that Cartier Love bracelets came into existence in 1969, so any piece dated before is sheer phony. Of course, you will find several variations in the modern and vintage Cartier love bracelets, but if you learn about them in advance, you’d still be able to catch the fake ones easily.
3. MATERIALS
No one can ever disagree with the fact that Cartier is the ultimate high-end, luxury brand. So you can only expect the finest materials in their products. The Cartier love bracelets specifically only come in exclusive 18k platinum, pink gold, white or yellow with only real diamonds embedded in the original creation.
So if you come across steel, silver, or other metals claiming to be protective materials for the original piece inside, return or exchange the product. Refrain from buying it because you would know outright that it is a fake piece.
Cartier love bracelets also never feature crystal or white stones, so beware of those. Also, note that Cartier love bracelets have diamonds reflected on the bracelet’s insides, through hexagonal cutouts.
A Cartier Love Bracelet in the original condition will never feel lightweight; it should be hefty and feel like heavy metal in your hand. If the piece is engraved, embossed, and shows discoloration signs, the seller still claims its authenticity and does not consider buying his/her bracelet.
4. SCREWS
Recent innovations have brought changes in the placing of screws in the Cartier love bracelet. In the newer version, the screws now attach to the bracelet itself. You will find extreme precision in the Cartier love bracelets, and the metal features perfect stamping of the screws. The replicas did not have the screws in perfect alignment and will not even have a smooth surface.
5. OBSERVE THE FINISHING
Cartier is the true epitome of luxury, and its goods are living testimony of it. So, whenever you buy a statement piece from the atelier itself, you will never walk out with a jewelry piece that is imperfect, misaligned, or untidy in any subtle way.
Every screw on the Cartier love bracelet will be in perfect alignment, and the bangle will feel well-made and perfectly secure when you wear it. If you do not find this, you likely have a fake piece in your hand.
The halves of the true Cartier Love bracelet align perfectly when the wearer screws them closed. The original will provide you a screwdriver that turns the closure screw easily. Watch out for all these factors when determining the authenticity.
6. HALLMARKS
One of the most foolproof ways of verifying a piece’s authenticity is through the hallmark. Hallmarks are codes that provide insight into your jewelry piece’s trademark, ID numbers, and material. You can refer to many hallmarks when verifying a Cartier love bracelet.
All original hallmarks must be clear and should not claim to be altered from its original state for any reason. Cartier will not accept changes in its original hallmarks for any customer so beware of it. Any shoddy finish, unequal inscription, or even smudged engravings can never belong to an original Cartier bracelet. Sure, older well worn bracelets may have some imperfections, but new bracelets should never.
The very obvious evidence is the Cartier logo. First, Love bracelets will always have the signature, then look for the hallmarks.
The material should also be 750, meaning 75 percent of the metal should be gold, always in an 18k bracelet. 24k is pure gold, 950 is for platinum, and so on. Also, look for the two-digit numbers, which refer to the diameter size.
Modern Cartier bracelets will also have a serial number. Abreast yourself of every piece of information about the Cartier Love bracelet before you set out to buy one.
7. DOCUMENTS
Legitimate Cartier products come with manufacturer documents that confirm the style, the serial number, the store purchased from, and the date of purchase.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cartier pieces are always expensive, even in the secondary markets. So if you ever happen to come across any Cartier love bracelet below the price of $4000, you must know that it is not an original piece. Even pre-loved Cartier bracelets will never fall below that price if they are original.
Cartier holds the status of the most luxurious jewelry brand in the world. It boasts fine, recognizable pieces that most high-profile, royal, and wealthy people sport worldwide.
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