Documenting Chanel CC markings through time

[shinymagpie]

Great reference pictures Alex. Thank you for sharing these with us, they will definitely come in handy for authenticating.

No worries Mon! I will try to remember to cross reference the hallmark and series with the relevant zip marking: more useful for historical reference.

I find all this stuff really interesting. I have been trawling around on the net trying to see if there is a year index for these marks, but can't find one. I still don't know if they are maker specific or country specific.

Regards.

 

[pro_shopper]

Here's the link to documenting cc markings over time. http://forum.purseblog.com/chanel/documenting-cc-markings-through-time-96562-5.html

I haven't noticed a W marking on any of my vintage bag CCs. There is one hallmark which has 3 lines on it. Perhaps this is interpreted as a W.
_
Chanel mention in their little black care book " The metal parts of your handbag are gilded with an alloy containing 24 carat gold, which is sometimes sensitive to sea air and the acidity of the skin and may eventually wear off. Clasps, chains and other metal parts can be re-gilded. Ask your Chanel Boutique for an estimate". I think that pretty much sums it up that it is possible and Chanel acknowledge it. This information comes from my carebook with the black cover and gold edge.

Newer bags, I don't know. I'd leave that for more recent greater minds!

Well, it is not only Chanel who uses it to mark it as 24 karats gold plated. ( actually, one means 24 karats ). All the French jewelry are marked this way for people to know how much gold there is in it. Most of French jewelry are 24 karats gold plated not 14 like her ein the USA. The higher the number is the more gold there is. When there are two stamps, it means that it is gold filled. Ad to that it does not matter where they stamp it. It is like a certification. I own a Chanel brooch that is stamped this way too. So, just to let you know, not only Chanel uses it.

I have a vintage 4-series double-faced flap ("jumbo" dimensions). This is what I was able to catch with the magnifier.

Through a jeweler's loupe I can make out the letters "St. L" on either side of what appears to a stick figure but a little more complex. Can anyone see it?

Most likely these are goldsmiths' marks and not specific to Chanel -- but surely Chanel uses the same goldplating clients for all their hardware.

^The first quote by shinymagpie was taken from this thread. The other two posts were taken from this thread...

So given what was said by shinymagpie about the carebooklet and what maya77 said about the common practice of using 24k plating, doesn't that mean that the hardware is 24k plating and not 22k like what we were saying at the beginning of the thread?

Also I have to agree with rainrowan that the different marks probably symbolize a goldsmiths mark. If you buy 24k (PURE Gold and NOT plated) gold jewellery (which is common in Asian cultures)...all your jewellery will have a different stamp which is a unique goldsmith mark based on who made the jewellery. I don't believe that Chanel would change the gold plating based on the bag, also gold plating is not that expensive since it is only plating (meaning a really thin coat on top of the hardware). I find that in north america gold plated jewellery is priced quite high...however, if you go to Asia you will find that 24k pure gold is the norm...therefore the prices for gold plated jewellery are much lower in price and less common. I went a Asian jewellery store where I live and the jeweller told me that the lowest grade of gold that they use is 18k in diamond rings to make sure that the ring is sturdy enough to hold the diamond in place...otherwise they don't carry anything lower than that. I am also a huge fan of CC Skye jewellery and they use 24k plating on all their gold hardware (and all their stuff is resonably priced).

However, i am still curious about the newer shipments of bags without the hallmark. Since in the past no hallmark=no gold plating...

 

[simp]

Wow great thread on gold hardware info! Never knew that ghw is 22k/24k plated, really make e investment in chanel all worthwhile!

Now i hope to own 1 piece of chanel in ghw

 

[shinymagpie]

Wow great thread on gold hardware info! Never knew that ghw is 22k/24k plated, really make e investment in chanel all worthwhile!

Now i hope to own 1 piece of chanel in ghw

HI. I think a keyword here is Chanel's use of ... an alloy containing 24 carat gold... It's not solid gold - sorry to get you all excited!! It contains gold as one of the metals making up the alloy.

But a real Chanel is a truly beautiful thing!

Regards

 

[kkvh7691]

if the ones without hallmarks mean no gold plating, what is the hardware made of i wonder!

 

[StarBrite310]

My new Cerf Tote doesn't have the marking on the gold CC. So this is normal now right? Cuz all my other Chanels with ghw have it.

 

[pws22]

hi there im looking at this bag its a red caviar leather classic with gold hardware.. but it doesnt have a marking on the logo does it mean its a fake one? everything else seems right though....

 

[pws22]

does anyone know.. if the logo hasnt got that mark on it does it mean its a fake.. im looking at getting this red caviar leather classic flap in medium size.. it doesnt have the symbol on it!!

www.clarsanna.com/ebay/Store/fullimg.html?chanel/flap265/7a.jpg&EEDAE4

someone please help..

 

[ChanellenahC]

hi pws- from what i've read on TPF, the newer chanel bags no longer have the hallmark. is the bag you're looking at new? perhaps others can chime in. i just got a new flap with gold hardware and it doesn't have the hallmark. i would've wanted one with it but the store had gotten a new shipment and they all didn't have hallmark stamps. guess that's the norm moving forward now?

 

[glistenpearls]

My M/L red caviar GHW flap that I bought recently also has no hallmark, so no it doesn't mean the one without is fake. My jumbo black caviar GHW in the other hand has the hallmark.

 

[pws22]

hi guys... this is the red caviar bag i want to get.. check out the link... help me see if this is authentic? PLEASE PLEASE......

 

[pws22]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...36692&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_4691wt_1093

 

[pws22]

what is TPF btw.. sorry im all new at this.. first time buying a bag online..

 

[m1ss]

I have yet to purchase my first bag and have been doing extensive research. To add to this discussion, I have seen an imitation/fake CHANEL bag have a stamp/hallmark on one of the top left corners as well. I also went to the boutique at Central, Hong Kong yesterday and it did NOT have the markings on it. I guess I'm still awaiting for an answer to this as well.

 

[shinymagpie]

I have yet to purchase my first bag and have been doing extensive research. To add to this discussion, I have seen an imitation/fake CHANEL bag have a stamp/hallmark on one of the top left corners as well. I also went to the boutique at Central, Hong Kong yesterday and it did NOT have the markings on it. I guess I'm still awaiting for an answer to this as well.

Hi. M1ss

Good sleuthing. You have raised some interesting points so I'm splitting my response into two parts.

Fake bag. The one that you thought was a fake, what did it look like? Did it look like any of the photographs here? If it was an R, it was definitely fake. If it is an auction link, then you could post it to the authenticate this Chanel site. I would definitely recommend using it to any buyer.

Also, who told you it was a fake? For reference, Sales Assistants SAs are not allowed to give opinions on authenticity of items. It is not their job and they can make mistakes. Which, is exactly why the the policy is in place.

Chanel has produced thousands and thousands of models. Often, people post items to the authenticate this Chanel link speculating that an item is fake because it looks funny to them in some way. Usually, it turns out to be OK. But sometimes the poster catches a fake, which can then be reported and protect other buyers. The authenticate this Chanel team are amazing and very experienced. If you look at how many posts they have made, you can see that they have seen a lot of Chanels.

I also collect look books of designer products. In the last 30 years alone, Chanel has produced a mind blowing array of items. Most of them I have only seen in pictures. Some SAs might be very well informed about historic ranges, but others will only have seen the ranges made since they started working. They are also employed to sell new bags. The only way Chanel really authenticate is to accept and repair your bag. If they don't repair it, that means they are concerned about authenticity. The only exception to this rule is that they also will not modify the original integrity of the bag - eg, dramatically change a color, or in some cases, do intensive cleaning on very old bags due to the risk to the leather.

New bags with no hallmark. Some of the current models no longer have the hallmark. I don't buy these so I don't know when that started. Someone else can help you on that.