Chopard is a Swiss watch brand over a 157-years-old. The watchmaker expanded into fine jewelry in the 1980s and has grown to an international powerhouse with 100 stores worldwide and over $800 million USD in annual revenue.
The incredible brand value, coupled with its ever increasing market demand, makes Chopard jewelry and watches incredibly vulnerable to counterfeiters. If you’re in the market for a pre-owned Chopard item, here are the details to zero in on that may tip you off to a fake Chopard watch or piece of jewelry.
1. Quality
A cursory examination of your Chopard piece in question will give you incredible insight into its authenticity. Chopard watches and jewelry are made of the highest quality gemstones and precious metals, by the world’s leading craftsmen. With that in mind, the piece should feel weighty, made heavier by the 18k gold and platinum used to produce Chopard jewelry and watches. If it looks cheap and flimsy, trust your gut: it’s probably a fake.
Chopard also has rigorous standards for every item it produces. Familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the item’s listed dimensions. If the measurements of the item you’re eyeing are even slightly off, it’s a good indication it’s a forgery.
And unless the piece is truly vintage, there should never be any visible damage or missing stones. Chopard’s designs, as magnificent and delicate looking as they are, are remarkably resilient and durable. Diamonds should remain secure in their setting. One red flag is any adhesive residue, especially to attach parts of a watch together, which can mean the watch is fake or has been tampered with.
2. Brand Markings
Pay close attention to the stamped Chopard hallmarks and marks. These engravings should be clean and precise. Any spelling mistakes immediately writes off the piece as a fake. But more subtle errors, like mis-spaced alignment or blurred script, are a good indication the piece is a forgery.
Every authentic Chopard watch or piece of jewelry is signed by the jeweler and lists its metal content. Platinum pieces are stamped with “950” and gold are marked with “750.” There should also be a serial number imprinted on your Chopard item. This unique number is kept in Chopard’s record and you can call them to cross-reference your serial number matches the item listed in their files.
3. Seller Location
If you’re shopping online, inquire about the seller’s location. Be wary of any sellers based out of China as the country is known for exporting the majority of the world’s counterfeit goods. Of course this does not mean all sellers in China are counterfeiters but it should factor into your decision to shop with said seller.
Also look at the URL and confirm it’s not a near-misspelling of Chopard. Many online forgers will capture misdirected traffic and mislead shoppers that accidentally land on their page from a mis-typed search term.
Read all the available online reviews on the seller. Scrutinize their language to make sure they are not written by the same person (or the seller themselves) and thoughtfully detail the shopper’s experience. Vague, terse or incomplete reviews are a strong indication this is not a trustworthy source. If there are no reviews, it’s best to move on and try a different, more reliable vendor.
4. Ask a trusted jeweler
The only real way to know if your item is an authentic Chopard watch or piece of jewelry is to get it professionally appraised. For a nominal fee, a jeweler will examine and test your piece to verify it is real and confirm if any parts of the item (particularly on watches) are after-market or counterfeit.
If you have further questions regarding TrueFacet’s authentication process, contact our concierge representative here.
Photo Credit: chopard.us
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