When buying jewellery for a loved one, or even yourself, a key criteria is usually whether the item is the real, genuine article.
In the social media world especially, being able to post you have the real branded product is something essential.
However, new research shows that three-quarters of Brits cannot spot fake jewellery from the real thing.
Those surveyed were asked to identity the real and fake items out of a sample of rings, necklaces and earrings.
They were wrong 76 percent of the time in their guess as to whether they were real or fake, showing an alarming percentage of people could be susceptible to being conned.
Paul McFayden, managing director of metals4U who ran the survey, said: “While many of us enjoy splashing out on authentic and often expensive jewellery, lots prefer to go for a cheaper alternative, such as costume jewellery.
“And this study shows that it’s unlikely anybody you mix with at work or while socialising will be able to tell the difference.
“It also shows that relying on eyesight alone isn’t enough when treating yourself to a new piece of jewellery or buying a gift.
“Ensure you’re using a respectable seller, check for the hallmark and ensure the quality of the workmanship is as you’d expect before you part with your hard-earned money.”
According to the survey, gold items are the hardest to work out if they fake or real with the five items with the most incorrect answers all being made of gold.
Interestingly, women surveyed were markedly better than men at spotting fakes with 27 percent guessing correctly compared to 21 percent for men.
You can take your own real or fake quiz here.
