++Please help me++ Authentification of a Cartier Trinity ring.

[mariannemo78450]

Hi folks,
I am new here.
I bought this Cartier Trinity ring about 10 years ago off Ebay.
I personaly picked-it up from the seller, in Paris, where I lived back then.
It came with the Cartier box, an old invoice from 1986 or 1988, a certificate of authentification from these years and also a little white enveloppe. (all this paperwork is at my parents place in France. I am currently living in Canada)
Anyways, I recently went to see a French master jeweller in Montreal (Canada) to enlarge my ring as my fingers are year after year getting bigger.
The jeweller who has 40 years of experience told me that he didn't see any serial number inside the ring and found it a bit weird. He added that it can be erased when the ring is really old. However, I find it bizarre that this serial number could be erased but not the others engravements.
From what I remember, I know that the serial number is in the paperwork.
The only info engraved inside the rose gold ring is : Cartier 750 CK 56
I know 56 is the French size. When I bought it I wore a size 58 but a 56 from Cartier fitted me.
I don't know what the CK means, though.
When I play with the Trinity, it goes right back in shape.
Beside a welding that has to be done on the yellow ring (it brokes) a few years ago and beside the enlargement, I didn't do anything.
Does anyone knows if sometimes or back then, Cartier didn't write the serial number inside ?
Is this a genuine Cartier ?
Thank you !

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[PreRaphaelite]

I don't know if the serial number would have been rubbed off the rose gold band naturally as rose gold is reportedly harder than other colors and the Cartier and 750 stamps are still visible. Truly I would take it to Cartier personally to have it authenticated. I've owned many of their jewellery pieces including vintage ones, and it's so difficult to tell for sure unless bought directly from them.

If you have worn and loved it for this long, perhaps it was always meant to be yours anyway. Best wishes on your ring!

 

[OoohShiny]

I would have to ask what would happen if it is or isn't Cartier - it's far too long ago to seek redress off the vendor if it isn't genuine, and unless you're looking to sell, the re-sale value (whether genuine or a replica) is of no consequence. It clearly seems to be made of genuine precious metals because it's lasted so long, and the one breakage you've suffered does not seem unusual in a ring with a lot of constant friction and movement and wear-and-tear going on, to my mind, so even if it is a replica, it appears to be a high quality replica.

If it's not Cartier, how would you feel about it? Like you've been some sort of 'fraud' all these years, wearing a replica piece that people think/assume is real? That you couldn't possibly wear it again because 'fakes are bad'? This situation is something I find interesting because people 'buy the wearer' when looking at a person wearing nice stuff, and if you roll up in a Porsche, no-one will question if the watch on your wrist is a genuine Rolex or if it's a high-quality replica, because they will have bought the whole package. Similarly, if you've been wearing what you think is a genuine Cartier ring for a decade and radiating confidence (rather then being paranoid about someone thinking it's not real) then people will have assumed it's as real as you think/thought it is/was.

I guess my point is to ask what exactly is it about an item that makes it 'special' - if the only thing that determines whether a piece of jewellery is 'good' or not is a piece of paper and a few stamps on the inside, then we are surely just all victims of the manufacturer marketing that says a brand name is better than quality workmanship itself.


IMVHO, I would get it sized up and not worry about whether or not it is genuine - wear it, enjoy it, get the value out of it so that if you eventually ever do find out it's a replica piece, you've had a good 10, 20, 30 years of wear out of it and of enjoying it for the attractive item of jewellery it is. At this point the money spent is just water under the bridge of life, and you should probably just be philosophical about these things and how none of it really matters because, as a greater man than I once said, in the long run, we're all dead.

If you wear it until you snuff it, you won't be around to care if it turns out to not be genuine Cartier!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I'd imagine the cost-per-wear is pretty low at this point! And it's so beautiful. Wear it in good health and happiness.

 

[mariannemo78450]

Hi Everyone,
I would like to thank you all for your wonderful help and comments.
Because I was worried about this serial number thing, I looked at it again this morning and guess what, incredible but I see a few numbers; not the whole serial number. It's been pretty erased but...
So, I guess this ring is authentic. Lol!
Thank you again.
We are a nice community, isn't it !