As an authorized Chan Luu retailer for six years, I've seen many Chan Luu fakes and am always distressed when customers believe they received a counterfeit product, when in fact they have an authentic Chan Luu product.
To address this very serious concern, I'm complying very specific signs of authenticity that you can spot on authentic Chan Luu pieces and dispelling some misconceptions that often lead customers to question authenticity.
Chan Luu Signature vs. Trend Collections
To start, Chan Luu designs two distinct lines of bracelets: SIGNATURE and TREND.
The signature collection is Chan's more well known line and features round Swarovski crystals (unless otherwise noted), sterling silver or gold vermeil/plated components (unless otherwise noted), and an oval .925 sterling silver Chan Luu button closure.
The trend collection features rondelle Chinese crystals, base metal components, and a flat round base metal Chan Luu button closure. This collection was created to offer more price friendly pieces, while maintaining Chan's distinctive designs and quality of craftsmanship. The main difference is in the components used, which result in friendlier price points. On occasion, customers who are not as familiar with Chan Luu's trend pieces will question the authenticity of their pieces because of the different button closure used.
Chan Luu Curved Oval Button vs. Flat Round Button Closure
Chan Luu distinguishes both the signature and trend collection by the button closure used. Chan's signature collection will have the iconic oval .925 sterling silver Chan Luu button closure, while Chan's trend collection will have the less well known round base metal Chan Luu button closure. Chan Luu's small kraft rectangular tags will also note whether the piece is from the signature or trend collection as shown in the photos below.
Chan Luu Signature Vintage Jewelry Pouch and Carding
Authentic Chan Luu bracelets will also come with her signature vintage jewelry pouch and kraft square carding. The signature vintage pouches will vary with different prints, but will always have Chan Luu's signature metal or fabric tag sewn onto the front and be accompanied by her signature carding. The wording on the carding has changed slightly over the years, but has always been on a Chan Luu kraft square card. Every Chan Luu signature and trend piece will come with the signature vintage pouch and square kraft carding, as these are a hallmark of authentic Chan Luu pieces.
NOTE: Special collections, such as Chan Luu's e.f.i. and the last animals collection, are the exception here and will come on Chan Luu cards instead with no pouch.
Why does Chan Luu not advertise the flat round base metal button closure for TREND pieces?
Chan Luu advertises the curved oval button closure as their sign of authenticity, but not the flat round base metal button closure. To find out why, I reached out to Chan Luu directly and received the following explanation:
"The curved oval button is only for our signature items and the curved oval button is the only button that is trademarked.
We do use the circle button on our trend items but since this button is not trademarked we cannot create the below link for this item [they are referring to this link: https://www.chanluu.com/counterfeit-chan-luu/].
Management is happy to reach out to the customer to explain the difference between our signature and trend collections. And also be there to confirm any styles authenticity."
While the explanation makes sense (somewhat), it was beyond frustrating that Chan Luu does not provide a written explanation for customers regarding the different button closure used between their signature and trend lines.
Authorized Chan Luu retailers
Authorized retailers will always openly address authenticity concerns, and I've often encouraged customers to contact Chan Luu's customer service directly to validate any information I've given them. While there are a concerning number of Chan Luu counterfeit products, somewhat equally distressing is when customers believe that their authentic Chan Luu items are counterfeit. My hope is that by providing more clarification and information, the distinction between authentic and counterfeit pieces will be more clear.
If you're ever in doubt of authenticity or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at sales@regencies.com