How to Spot a Fake David Yurman Albion Ring
Before the introduction of the David Yurman Albion collection, colorful gemstones were typically reserved for special occasion or evening jewelry. However, the breakout Albion collection redefined jewelers’ approach to gemstones and made these bold and sprightly stones appropriate for every day wear.
A cornerstone of this popular collection are the Albion rings. Distinguished for their impressive center gemstones, often set with a halo of small diamonds, that gently curve outward in a beautiful checkerboard motif.
Here we explain how to spot a real from a fake David Yurman Albion ring.
Look at the Albion Ring’s sizing area.
The cables of an authentic David Yurman Albion ring twist all the way around the shank and carry through to the inside of the ring. There is only a very small section on the inside bottom of the ring that is smooth to allow for sizing. Knock-off David Yurman rings, however, are often smooth along the entire inside which makes for a very quick-and-easy giveaway that you are looking at a fake.
A look at the inside of a David Yurman Albion ring. You can see the cabling winds all the way around the ring shank but is smooth at the base of the ring to allow for sizing.
Evaluate the overall symmetry of the Albion ring.
Genuine David Yurman Albion rings are very symmetrical. The two cabled bands (or shanks) are evenly sized and spaced at the top of the ring, underneath the setting.
Phony Albion rings, however, are usually less precise. The cabled shanks are often slightly different widths. It can be hard to notice the difference between the two bands at first glance, but, if you follow them up towards the setting, you’ll notice that the bands are asymmetrical and not spaced evenly on either side at the base of the gemstone setting.
A front view of an authentic David Yurman Albion ring shows the symmetry of the stone setting and cabled bands.
Be cautious of genuine materials.
Curiously enough, some convincing knock-off Albion rings will be made with authentic gemstones, diamonds, or sterling silver. So, even if the ring is made with genuine fine materials and stones, it’s not an immediate indicator that it’s real.
But a tell-tale sign that the Albion ring is fake is the faceting of the gemstone. David Yurman uses a very special faceting technique that gives the center gemstones of its Albion rings that unique convex checkerboard motif. It’s very hard for forgers to replicate that faceting so fake Albion rings will often have a checkerboard motif with larger squares.
Examine the Albion ring’s cabling.
The David Yurman Albion ring features two cable bands that start at the corners of the stone’s setting and gently taper closer together at the bottom of the ring or the base of the ring shank. On a real David Yurman Albion ring, the cabling of each band will twist in the opposite direction and meet in a chevron pattern at the bottom of the ring. Fake David Yurman rings, however, will usually feature cables that twist in the same direction.
This doesn’t apply to every David Yurman ring but it’s good to take note and see if your ring in question checks off any other red flag boxes on this list.
A look at the David Yurman Albion ring’s profile in which you can see the cabling twists in opposite directions to make a chevron pattern.
Get an expert opinion.
The only real way to determine the authenticity of your David Yurman ring is to bring it to a jeweler. A jeweler can thoroughly examine the item, looking for signatures and other miniscule details that will definitively sniff out a real from a fake David Yurman Albion ring.
To learn more about TrueFacet’s authentication process, check out our blog post on the topic here!
