Continued from Part 4 on "Stitching"....(PLEASE READ MY FIRST FOUR GUIDES BEFORE PROCEEDING)  There will be additional guides to cover different details posted soon!  So please check back!

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Anya Hindmarch I'm Not A Plastic Bag Guide to Fakes PART 5

"METAL RINGS"

This guide (Part 5) will cover things to look for as far as the grommets or metal rings that surround the opening for the rope handles.  They should look a certain way and it is rare to find a fake with brass colored rings so please do not let that old bit of information lead you to believe your bag with silver grommets is authentic.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  There has been a rumor circulating that these bags are supposed to have ENGRAVED hardware (i.e., the metal rings/grommets).  The authentic bags DO NOT have engraved grommets!  This was incorrect information posted at "The Bag Snob" website.  Someone received a fake (bad fake, it even had GOLD grommets) and she sent a picture of it to an AH retail store and the clerk said it was fake (which it was) but the clerk also said that all AH bags had engraved hardware.  While MOST AH bags have engraved hardware, the I'm Not A Plastic Bags DO NOT (not the real ones OR the fake ones).  But there are MANY things to look for so PLEASE read ALL of my guides.

At this point, if you have read my previous guides, you know the basic things to look for and hopefully some more advanced ways to spot the fakes, particulary replicas.  In case you aren't aware of this, over 80% of ALL designer handbags on Ebay are fake...and about 50% are replicas being sold as authentic.  Most people buy the replicas thinking they are real because they aren't as AWFUL as the bad knock-offs and people are trusting of the authenticity guarantee.  But MOST "100% guaranteed authentic" handbags on Ebay are FAKE.  Isn't that scary?  Please see my separate guide that covers this subject in greater detail.

Now, on to the grommets.....

As I have explained before, there are standards for manufacturing an item with a designers name attached to it.  Even if the original retail price is $15.  And again, even at the bargain price of $15, this is five times the cost (or more) of an average canvas grocery bag.  (A local retail grocery store, Kroger, has them for 99 cents, so understand that a bag that is 15 times this cost will have more expected from it.)

I'm going to show you the INTERIOR (the underside) shot of a metal ring from an authentic bag compared to a fake....

REAL:                                               FAKE:

See the quality of the ring on the left?  See how uniform everything is, the polished silver color and the roundness of the edges?  (also, see the correct stitching beneath it?)

Look closer at the ring on the right, from a fake bag.  See how the pieces of canvas are sticking through the crack of the grommet?  It would be rare to find this on a real bag.  I have examined a number of authentic bags and not a single one has this but almost ALL of the fakes have this issue on at least one grommet.  Remember, when counterfeit goods are being made, it is ALWAYS at lightening speed so more errors occur, like the canvas isn't cut correctly when the metal ring is attached and this stray pieces of canvas get caught in the grommet as it is being secured.  It doesn't close all the way because these pieces are caught in there and therefore you get a grommet looking like the on on the right.  

Now, this takes a really good eye but the authentic rings are more highly polished than the fakes.   Look at the photos below.  They are taken in the same lighting and from the same angle.  See the black dots on the silver part on the photo on the left?  This is my camera.  The metal is so highly reflective, it is reflecting the image of my camera.  Now, look on the right.  The fake bag is not showing this in the same way.  You can see a very faint dark spot but look at the difference in the two photos.  I even magnified the fake even closer to show it better.   The authentic bag has a higher quality metal ring that is shinier and more reflective.  Look again, you can clearly see the lens from my camera reflecting on the left.   You can barely make it out on the fake on the right.

REAL:                                            FAKE:

Now, I want you to look at the below photos at the space between the metal grommet and the end of the top flap of material that is located directly beneath.  See how much space there is from the bottom of the metal ring to the bottom of the canvas flap where the stitching is?  See the major difference?  See how short this space is on the fake?  I have seen the spacing on some fakes that is almost exactly right (on a better replica, see the photos above) but some of the cheaper fakes will have very little spacing, just like the picture on the right.

REAL:                                               FAKE:

       See the short space?

Now, look at this detail below.  I pulled the seam apart to show the INSIDE of the metal grommet that is hidden by the fabric (you'll have to lift up the inside top flap to find this). Find the interior part of the grommet and pull the seam apart so you can see it.  On an authentic bag, it should look like the photo on the far left....a grayish color glue-like coating is over it. It may look lighter grayish beige on one side but mostly gray.  On some of the fakes, it looks clearly two-tone white and black (one side is white, the other is clearly black - see the 2nd photo) and on many of the fakes, you can't even pull the seam apart to show it AT ALL (in 3rd photo).  Your authentic bag should have a metal ring that looks like the one of the far left on the interior under the flap, when you pull the seam apart. 

REAL:                                            FAKE:                                       FAKE:

See the difference?  On the last picture, you can't even lift up the top flap to see the inside of the grommet because the piece is so short and it is stitched down.  On the 2nd photo, you can clearly see the white and black side. 

The next guide will cover details to look for in the rope handles!  I hope you are finding these guides helpful and you are well on your way to easily spotting a replica instead of simply a fake bag, should you receive one (or already have one) or are looking at purchasing one of these on Ebay.  I'm sorry if I am bringing on great disappointment to you if you have a fake that you believed was authentic.   I'm providing this service because it is greatly needed and I have much more sympathy for the victims of these scams than for the sellers pulling the scams on innocent, unknowing people.

I can't tell you this enough:  MOST "100% AUTHENTIC" designer bags on Ebay (or highly desired bags such as this one)......are FAKE.  You MUST learn how to tell the difference if you truly have a desire to carry a genuine article. 

This Anya Hindmarch bag will probably go down in history as one of the most highly counterfeited because of the low cost in doing so.  It is a canvas bag that is very easily and inexpensively copied so the counterfeiters have gone berzerk.  Imagine the profit also....a bag that only cost a couple of dollars at most to make is selling for over $100, sometimes over $200! 

DO DON'T PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR A $2 FAKE!  READ THESE GUIDES!  Read every guide you can get your hands on! And disregard the old information you have been reading about zippers and upside down apostrophes.  This are the HORRIBLE fakes.  This is like comparing a $20 Rolex knock-off to a $200 Rolex knock-off.  The $20 one is obvious and pathetic looking....the $200 one may require a little more attention to detail.   And a $500 or more Rolex knock-off will require you to almost be a certified Rolex jeweler to know the difference!  But ANY fake can be identified by the right person...remember that!

Thanks for reading my guides....don't forget, there are four (4) more before this one.  I will have at least six (6) guides posted on these bags to please be sure to click on "see all reviews and guides by the member" to see them all.

Please vote "yes" at the bottom if you found any of this information helpful! Thanks so much!

Christi

PART 5