The Russian nesting dolls (also called matryoshka and sometimes babushka) is a century old traditional Russian craft. The dolls are hand painted by the skilled Russian artists to become a fantastic gift, an adorable toy or even a piece of art. Unfortunately, due to the increased popularity of the Russian dolls in recent years many cheap imitations claiming to be the Russian nesting dolls have appeared.  These can be found on eBay or sometimes even in grocery stores.

What are the typical features of the counterfeit dolls that can be used to distinguish then from the authentic Russian dolls? Here are some of them:

• the pattern is very simple, they also use significantly fewer brush strokes to create ornaments than the genuine Matryoshkas
• the colours are usually simple and often dull
• the facial features are often asymmetric and unpleasant
• the top of the head is often flat and excessively squared
• the most distinctive feature of the cheap stacking dolls is that they do not have bevelled skirting at the bottom of the largest figurine
• the authentic Russian nesting dolls typically have some sort of writing in Russian on the bottom of the largest doll, this is usually the number of dolls in the set and the initials or signature of the artist

Thus, it is very easy to avoid disappointment by paying attention to these several features. Of course, if your set of matryoshka dolls is shipped directly from Russia by a reputable seller, then you can be assured that they are authentic!