VIVIENNE WESTWOOD - Accessories: Rings

The vast majority of Vivienne Westwood jewelry on eBay is fake. To avoid getting ripped off you need to know what to look for. Below is a real v. fake example of the three-hinged armor ring. This ring is made in two versions, the silver (925 silver) and the gold version (which is gold plated 925 silver). What you should look for is the quality of the casting (edges, detailing, etc) and the quality of the metal.

Example (click to enlarge):

Example (click to enlarge):

The fakes can sometimes have a lot of grainy imperfections in the metal, and poorly shaped edges. In the second comparison above you can see the lack of quality in the casting of the orb logo on the fake ring. It looks like it is actually cracked at the base, which may be from a poorly applied 'gold' paint job.

Example (click to enlarge):

When shopping online it can help to have a photo of the item (in addition to the ones provided in the auction) from a reputable source so that you can compare any differences. Granted, this is not always easy to get, which is one of the reasons I started this blog.

In the above example you can see that the links of the fake ring are shaped a bit differently. The real ring's links are also stepped, not aligned in a straight line. See what I mean?

Example (click to enlarge):

Another difference with this style ring is the hinging mechanism. The fake one has larger ball cap joints, where as the real one has small rounded prongs sticking through the holes.

Remember to always check the seller before buying anything. Look at the feedback and the other items he/she has sold. Designer jewelry rarely gets discounted so if the seller has sold a large amount of a particular style piece it should be a warning sign.