Jewelry Counterfeits: The Age-Old Problem Just Keeps Growing
It is often said that the problem with counterfeiting is that you never catch everybody who makes it. But that sounds about right, doesn’t it?
For many years, counterfeiters have had an edge on the legitimate manufacturers. Manufacturers don’t have the same technical tools to detect the counterfeit versions as well as the real item.
So in order to get your dollars back, it is up to the individual to try to find a counterfeit item and then to turn it in to the authorities. You might have to do research, but not the kind of research you would have to if the item was real.
But in recent years, the problem has grown. Not necessarily the counterfeiting of real, legitimate gold and silver articles, but the counterfeiting of designer jewelry as well. The reasons for the growth are many, but the bottom line is this: The technology to produce the fake, designer gemstones and beads is now available, so there is no need to use the real ones. Instead, you can use the fake versions.
For example, a designer might use an inlay of diamond encrusted gemstones to make a fake, custom-made necklace. For this, the designer would need a set of real, diamond encrusted gemstones. For the case, the designer could use a stone that is cut and shaped like a diamond.
The diamond encrusted gemstones are then encased in a material that looks like a metal necklace. In the fake, the diamonds are surrounded by precious metal beads.
The idea with the fake encrusted gemstones is that the necklace isn’t too heavy, and the necklace can be passed off as the real thing. And since there are no real, diamond encrusted gemstones involved, you can’t really tell that it is a fraud.
The cost to make a fake diamond encrusted necklace could easily be $2,000 to $3,000, depending on which gemstones are used to make the fake. But the cost to make the fake encrusted gemstone beads is only a few hundred dollars.
Some jewelers and designers have gone to