Van Cleef will no longer authenticate their bracelets - what to learn from this

Some pretty important news coming up; Van Cleef and Arpels will no longer authenticate their iconic bracelets. This could be a shock for many people, but there is a sad reason behind this.

 

Van Cleef and Arpels have recently risen to fame thanks to their unmistakably-shaped bracelets, which have been seen on many wrists, both male and female.

 

It’s no surprise since the design is quite frankly breathtaking, but why would they decide to stop authenticating their own product, especially given the price tag of each bracelet?

 

Photo source: Van Cleef&Arpels

 

Well, the reason is a pragmatic one, which however makes it no more sad.

 

Van Cleef is simply not able to tell their original creations from the fakes, which have become some elaborate and accurate that not even the manufacturer can distinguish them.

 

Now, the only way to be sure your Van Cleef bracelet is genuine is to have the original certificate of authenticity with it.

 

Photo source: Van Cleef&Arpels

 

This may sound like Van Cleef is incompetent - after all, what brand is not capable of authenticating their own product?

 

Before jumping to any conclusion, let’s dive a bit deeper into this problem because this is not as uncommon as you think.

 

Photo source: Loupiosity

 

How about watches…

 

The same problem Van Cleef is facing now is no news to brands like Panerai, who have long battled with this problem.

 

Photo source: Styleflow

 

And especially for Paneria, it has gotten to the point where most jewellers or second-hand dealerships won’t even accept this watch without a certificate of authenticity, because without it, the fake and the original are basically impossible to tell apart.

 

And even though other brands might not have it so extreme, even watchmakers like Rolex or Patek Philippe are facing serious problems with bootlegged watches, which are getting harder and harder to distinguish every day.

 

Photo source: Wantyourwatch

 

What to take from this?

 

Each year, the watchmaking and jewellery industry loses billions of dollars because of fake and counterfeit products.

 

It’s true that many people have the mentality of “Why should I buy the original if the fake looks the same and is cheaper”, but they clearly don’t understand the bigger picture.

 

By buying counterfeit luxury goods, you’re often indirectly supporting horrible working conditions, unfair treatment of workers, and even child labor, which is quite common in the factories producing such fakes.

 

By extension, taking the revenue from honest manufacturers undermines their ability to even create the watches that are eventually being counterfeited in the first place.

 

So what to take from all this; don’t be fake, just buy genuine watches and jewellery with the proper authentication and papers.

 

Trust us, you’ll feel better when you know you’re wearing the original.