Luxury bags, watches & jewelry · side by side · updated June 26, 2026
The Cartier Love bracelet is defined by its functional screws and its hallmark engraving — the two things replicas physically cannot reproduce well.
RealCheck › Luxury bags, watches & jewelry › Real vs fake Cartier Love Bracelet
The comparison
| What to check | Genuine | Fake |
|---|---|---|
| The screws | The oval screwheads actually turn with the branded screwdriver and stay captive in the bangle (they don't fully fall out on the modern design). Screw motifs are evenly spaced and aligned. | Fake 'screws' are decorative/fixed, misaligned, or fall out; spacing between motifs is uneven. |
| Weight | Solid 18k gold gives real, dense heft (a size 17 sits around ~30g+ depending on width). | Noticeably light — hollow or plated base metal. |
| Hallmark engraving | 'Cartier', '750'/'Au750', size, serial and poinçon are shallow, crisp and evenly spaced. | Deep, uneven, misspelled, or missing metal mark; font that's slightly off. |
| Gold color & finish | Consistent, warm 18k tone with a smooth polished surface; no discoloration at edges. | Brassy or pinkish off-tone, plating wear at high spots, or a too-yellow flash. |
| Acid/metal test | Tests as solid 18k (750) gold throughout. | Plated: a jeweler's test reveals base metal under a thin gold layer. |
Tally the rows. A genuine item passes nearly all of them; a fake usually fails several even when it nails the obvious ones.
The code
Format: A genuine Love bracelet is engraved on the inside with 'Cartier', the metal mark ('750' or 'Au750' for 18k gold / 'PT950' for platinum), the size number, a serial number, and a small hallmark/poinçon. The lettering is shallow, precise and evenly spaced.
Where to find it: Inside surface of the bangle, opposite the screw motifs.
Buy the real thing
eBay's Authenticity Guarantee has qualifying items independently inspected by experts before they ship to you — a free third-party check on top of the tells above.
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