Maison Certified
Know your piece. Choose with confidence.
Enjoy discovering pre-owned luxury with a clearer understanding of the piece you choose. Before an eligible item is presented as Maison Certified, Maison Designers reviews its authenticity, condition and available documentation through checks suited to its category.
Checked before it reaches you
How do you know a pre-owned luxury piece is genuine?
Buying pre-owned luxury should not feel like a risk. Before an eligible Maison Designers item is presented as Maison Certified, we review the details that matter: authenticity signals, condition, materials, documents and any visible signs of previous work.
The purpose is simple: to help you understand what you are buying before it is dispatched.
When buying a pre-owned Cartier jewel, Bvlgari piece, luxury watch or designer bag online, the natural question is: how do I know it is genuine?
Maison Designers asks that question before the item reaches you.
Eligible pieces are reviewed by people who work with luxury categories every day, using category-specific checks for jewellery, watches, bags and accessories. The review may include hallmarks, engravings, serial details, materials, stones, construction, closures, documents, condition and any visible signs of repair, alteration or previous work.
For jewellery, this can include checking maker marks, precious metal indications, stone settings, clasps, proportions, documents where available, and any repairs or modifications that should be disclosed.
If a concern is identified, the item is reviewed further before it is presented or treated as authenticated.
Method
Careful review, tailored to every category.
The review may combine physical inspection, product data, documentation, item identifiers, construction signals, materials, condition, service history, category knowledge and third-party specialist input where appropriate. Items that cannot be supported with sufficient confidence should not be represented as Maison Certified.
Watches
- Case, dial, hands, bezel, bracelet or strap review.
- Reference, serial, movement and documentation signals where available.
- Condition, service indicators and included box, papers, links or accessories recorded where provided.
Bags
- Materials, stitching, structure, hardware, interior and wear profile.
- Brand stamps, codes, serials and construction signals where available.
- Dust bag, box, receipt, strap, pouch or certificate reviewed where included.
Jewellery
- Hallmarks, metal marks, construction, stones and settings reviewed.
- Brand details, certificates, weight and visible condition assessed where available.
- Repairs, sizing or alterations noted where identified.
Understand the piece you choose
Its identity, condition and documents, brought together.
Luxury is in the details. Maison helps you understand the information available for your piece, so your decision feels considered and personal.
Know its identity
Review the brand, model, reference and available identifying details recorded for the piece.
Understand its condition
Photographs, condition notes, inclusions and any recorded previous work help explain the item you are choosing.
Keep its documentation
Check the documents included with your piece. For eligible items, the Digital Passport connects item identity and authentication information in one record.
Explore the Digital PassportIndependent authentication services
Authentication for a piece you already own.
Where Maison Designers sells authentication as a standalone paid service, the service is purchased when the order or written service request is accepted. The scope may include review of submitted item data, photographs, documents, physical inspection, category specialist review, third-party review, written observations, Digital Passport preparation or certificate creation only where expressly stated.
| Service point | Maison Designers position |
|---|---|
| When work starts | Maison Designers may start after payment, item receipt, required information and any required express request to begin during the cancellation period have been received. |
| Consumer cancellation | If a consumer has a statutory cancellation right for a standalone service, Maison Designers will not remove it. Where the client expressly asks the service to begin during the cancellation period, reasonable charges may apply for work performed before valid cancellation, and a completed service may become non-refundable where permitted by applicable law and properly disclosed. |
| What is not included | Authentication is not an insurance policy, manufacturer warranty, valuation, investment advice, title guarantee, customs opinion, stolen-property clearance or promise that every historical component is original unless expressly stated. |
| Third-party review | Third-party specialist input may be used where appropriate, but reliance, timing, report format and confidentiality are limited to the agreed service scope. |
If you have a concern after receiving your item, even a small one, contact us. We follow a clear review process and our first step is to understand the issue carefully.
Authenticity concern
If you have a question, start with Maison.
If a client raises an authenticity concern, Maison Designers may request photographs, videos, third-party written observations, the complete packaging and the item for inspection. The item must not be altered, repaired, opened, authenticated destructively or transferred while the case is under review unless Maison Designers has agreed the next step in writing.
| Concern | Required support |
|---|---|
| A question about authenticity | Order reference, photographs of relevant identifiers, written explanation and any expert report relied upon. |
| Missing inclusion | Photographs of the full unboxing contents, packaging and product page inclusion reference. |
| Condition mismatch | Clear photographs taken promptly after delivery and before use, resizing, repair or external handling. |
| External inspection | A written specialist assessment helps us review your concern. We may ask for more information where informal comments or screenshots do not provide enough detail. |
Understanding your authentication
A clear understanding of your item record.
Authentication is based on reasonable specialist review and available evidence. It is not a manufacturer warranty, an unlimited lifetime guarantee, a promise against future expert disagreement or a waiver of mandatory rights for goods not as described, faulty or otherwise non-conforming.
Your purchase, clearly explained
Included services and personal support.
Authentication within your Digital Passport
For an eligible purchase, the Digital Passport brings together the authentication or appraisal information recorded for the piece. We explain the scope and any separately agreed service price before you commit. An independent examination of a piece you already own is different from the checks needed to supply an item sold as authentic.
Any payment for early-start work depends on the applicable request, information and work actually supplied. Read the service and refund explanation. Your mandatory rights for faulty or misdescribed goods and improperly performed services remain unaffected.
Independent appraisal
For a separately commissioned appraisal, the agreed fee covers the examination and report, including a negative finding, when the service has been properly supplied. This does not limit remedies for an item sold as authentic that is not authentic.