Pandora jewelry is one of the highly sought-after jewelry brands thanks to the unique brand’s positioning and the fact that Pandora makes stunning jewelry, the kind that anyone would want to own. But just like the jewelry by other premium brands,
Pandora’s jewelry is quite pricey and inaccessible to most people who’d like a piece of jewelry from the brand. And to meet the high demands of the market, especially for the individual who cannot afford the genuine Pandora bracelets, there is a thriving counterfeits market.
The counterfeiters understand that it would be very easy for them to make a quick buck off this market by targeting the people who want to buy ‘premium brand’ accessories for less cash. Pandora, just like the other big brands like Gucci and Rolex, has been largely victimized by the counterfeiters.
Pandora knows that it is impossible to completely weed out the counterfeiters, and they are doing everything possible to make sure that their customers have access to genuine bracelets and also know how to tell the counterfeits apart from the genuine bracelets.
Since the differences between the genuine and the counterfeited Pandora bracelets are sometimes almost imperceptible, especially to an untrained eye, we’ll be sharing helpful information on the same. In this article, we’re sharing tips on how anyone can tell if a Pandora bracelet is real or fake.
So, let’s get into it.
How to tell if a Pandora bracelet is real (Step by Step Guide)
1. Buy the bracelet from a certified online retailer
In an attempt to curb counterfeiting, Pandora vets and certifies the stores that sell their authentic jewelry. So, if you are shopping for a real Pandora bracelet without getting duped, we recommend looking out for the online retailers that are certified to sell the genuine jewelry sold by Pandora.
It’s important to confirm the legitimacy of the store too, and you can do that by running a quick search for a physical address that’s associated with the store.
You should also know that when shopping from an overseas online store that probably sells knock-offs, you will notice that the store will mask their location or not want you to know that they are a foreign store.
Avoid these stores. Instead, look for the US-based online stores that explicitly state that they are authorized to sell authentic Pandora bracelets. At the moment, only sites based in the US are the ones authorized by Pandora to sell their jewelry.
You should also take note of the site’s ZIP code then confirm the code on the Pandora corporate website, Pandora.net – for good measure. On Pandora’s website, make use of their dealer locator function for verification of the existence of the vendor and also to confirm if the dealer is really authorized.
But don’t stop there. You can take your verification steps further by looking out for and confirming that phone call on the store’s website. Call them and speak to someone that works at the store. Often, reputable sites have big departments, and the customer service department or the sales team will help answer your questions.
In most cases, dealers of authentic Pandora bracelets and other kinds of jewelry from reputable brands have a way of handling their customers, they will not evade the hard questions, and they will entertain and answer all the annoying questions you may have. They will even take you through the product verification process for when you receive the bracelet.
2. Get verification for the bracelet on Pandora.net.
Pandora’s corporate website allows customers to verify their bracelets seamlessly. If you have doubts or just want to be double-sure, go to www.pandora.net. On the website, you will have access to the complete Pandora jewelry collection, from bracelets and charms to their jewelry collections.
Browse through their catalog to find the bracelet you’d like to buy or want to verify once you find the bracelet, note down its number (all the items have item numbers), and also the prices.
With the item number noted and the bracelet’s finer details confirmed, you can go back to the site you were shopping from to verify the details and to ensure they all match. The biggest sign of a scam or counterfeit site selling Pandora and a fake bracelet would be a price discrepancy.
So, if the price of that bracelet on that site is lower than the price listed on Pandora’s site, it would mean that the retailer is not running a site authorized by Pandora. Although the insanely low price makes you feel like you just came across the deal of a lifetime, the truth is that there is just no authorized Pandora dealer offering discounts.
The very few times when Pandora offers discounts or when you should reconsider the low price would be when (1) you are dealing with a verified/ authorized Pandora dealer and (2) if the item has a last chance offer tagged on it. The Last Chance offers are often authorized by Pandora.
So, while it could be such a huge deal to find a Pandora bracelet on offer, it is highly unlikely, and the site you are about to buy the bracelet from is likely selling counterfeits. And honestly, you’d rather save your hard-earned money for the real thing.
Besides the price differences, the other red flag to beware of is the item number. If the bracelet number on the online site you wanted to buy the bracelet from is different from the number on Pandora’s site, then it’s not a real Pandora piece but a counterfeit.
3. Don’t trust the packaging.
Some people argue that you can tell real Pandora bracelets by looking at the packaging, but this is not always the case, with some sites dealing in counterfeit Pandora bracelets picturing the fakes in actual Pandora packaging, even using real marketing materials for Pandora. So, you shouldn’t be persuaded by the packaging or the official boxes.
4. Be extra vigilant when buying Pandora bracelets from Auction sites.
Although you can strike gold on sites like eBay because some sellers sell authentic Pandora bracelets, this is not always the case.
So, while some retailers dealing in second hand and discontinued Pandora bracelets will have real bracelets by Pandora, there are no active authorized retailers of Pandora selling the real bracelets on the auction sites.
So, shopping for jewelry on eBay is usually a high-risk thing to do. You never know what you are buying, but it’s always likely that you are buying a fake piece.
Keep in mind that if the deal looks too good to be true, it is.
5. Hallmark signs are not to be trusted.
Pandora is no longer using one kind of hallmark for their jewelry. ALE S925, which was the stamped hallmark on most of their pieces in the past, is no longer their standard mark of authenticity, and you cannot trust the hallmark as a sign of the bracelet’s authenticity.
Other things to consider
- Real Pandora bracelets don’t tarnish quickly
- The real bracelets are well-crafted
- They come with authentic and comprehensive Pandora warranties and guarantees.
Related Q&A
Is Pandora made in Thailand authentic?
Yes. This is the case because Pandora is now making their jewelry only in Thailand.
Is Pandora real diamonds?
Older Pandora jewelry was made with mined or real diamonds, but they have announced recently that they are no longer using real or mined diamonds. Now, all diamond jewelry by Pandora is made of lab-grown diamonds.
Conclusion
The site you buy your Pandora jewelry is a great place for you to start your search and to determine the authenticity of the bracelets, whose details you can validate on Pandora’s site.
Hallmarks and packaging are now unreliable ways of determining the authenticity of the Pandora bracelets.
Read more useful tips here or here!
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.