Vivienne Westwood Authentication

Vivienne Westwood sells its orb jewelry under individual style names, and one name often covers several colors and crystal combinations. Its listings include the Mini, Mayfair and Grace Bas Relief pendant necklaces under color names such as platinum-crystal, rhodium-crystal, gold, pink gold and ruthenium.

Name the style, color and approximate season before comparing anything. A Mini Bas Relief photo will not match a Mayfair, and a gold version will not match a platinum one, so a reference from the wrong version can make a genuine piece look wrong or a copy look right.

On the listings we checked, Vivienne Westwood lists the Mini Bas Relief and Mayfair Bas Relief pendant necklaces, the Three Row Pearl Bas Relief Choker and the Mini Bas Relief Earrings as brass. The Mayfair, Three Row and Mini Bas Relief Earrings listings add silver-tone plating, and the care notes on the Mini Bas Relief necklace and Three Row choker listings call them costume jewelry.

For pearls, the brand says the house opts for lower-impact glass-based or resin pearls, and it lists glass-based pearls on the Three Row Pearl Bas Relief Choker. It describes its Spring-Summer 2022 version of that choker as three tiers of 92 glass-based pearls made by Swarovski.

Metals are not the same across the range, though. The Mini Orb Ring is listed in recycled silver, with care notes saying sterling silver tarnishes over time, so check the composition for your exact piece before judging color, weight or wear.

Vivienne Westwood says its orb joins the orb from the crown jewels with a satellite ring like Saturn's, and that it was first used on labels, embroidered on some garments and on buttons, with an orb pendant in the Harris Tweed Autumn-Winter 1987-88 show. Reviewers compare the ring, cut-outs, crystal setting and plating edges with a same-version reference rather than a generic orb image.

The Mini and Mayfair Bas Relief listings describe a lobster clasp with an engraved tag, and the Mini listing calls it an engraved oval tag at the classic lobster clasp. Reviewers check that the tag, clasp and chain fit the claimed piece and are cleanly finished, keeping in mind that a copied tag can look right on its own.

Measurements help too. For the rhodium-crystal Mayfair Bas Relief Pendant Necklace, the brand lists an orb 2.2 cm high and 2.6 cm wide and a 48 cm total chain including the extender, and the Mini Bas Relief Earrings listing also gives a weight, so measure and weigh the piece against the listing for the same version.

Check the brand's listing before judging the material, because bag materials change by style and season. Vivienne Westwood lists the black Yasmine Small Bag as 58% recycled polyurethane and 42% polyurethane, made in Italy, and describes a recent Hazel Medium Handbag as reimagined in smooth PU leather with a soft cotton lining.

The brand says the Yasmine's teardrop shape comes from a traditional knitting bag and that it was first shown at the Time Machine show for Autumn-Winter 1988-89, in faux-fur fabrics or tattersall checks. Current listings include mini, small and large Yasmine bags, and the Small is listed with a polished bas relief orb at the front, so compare an archive bag with archive references and a current bag with the current listing.

For knitwear, Vivienne Westwood sells cardigans under style names, such as the Bea, Bea Cropped and Bea Corset cardigans. Reviewers compare any orb embroidery or buttons, labels, knit and fit with the same named style and season, since details can change between seasons.

We found no Vivienne Westwood serial-number lookup, QR or NFC feature, or authenticity card program on viviennewestwood.com when this guide was researched, and its brand protection statement does not describe one. Instead, it points buyers to official channels: the website, official social media channels, directly operated stores in its store locator, and authorized distributors.

The FAQ says jewelry comes with a Vivienne Westwood pouch and a branded jewelry box. Boxes, pouches, tags and receipts can be copied or moved between items, so they only help when they agree with the exact piece.

We found no statement that Vivienne Westwood authenticates items bought elsewhere. Its FAQ asks anyone unsure whether a retailer is genuine to contact customer service, and its brand protection statement invites reports of suspected counterfeits.

Vivienne Westwood names www.viviennewestwood.com as its website and says it guarantees that items sold there are authentic. It says it monitors e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, social media and websites and brings lawsuits against counterfeiters with law enforcement, so check the domain carefully before paying on any site that presents itself as the official store.

For a secondhand piece, ask for an item-level review when the style or color is unclear, photos skip the clasp, tag, back or labels, the piece has been repaired or re-plated, or the price and seller story do not fit. Vereev is independent of Vivienne Westwood and weighs style identity, materials, construction, markings and condition together, then records the outcome in a digital certificate.