8 octobre 2025

Protecting Yourself From AI-Generated Fake Jewellery Retailers

par Stevie Holmes dans News

Following on from our previous post about the confusion between Scarlett Jewellery and the similarly-named "Scarlett Jewels", I want to share something that affects far more people than just our jewellery business.

The Rise of AI-Generated Fake Businesses

There's a disturbing trend emerging in online retail: un-reputable retailers are using AI-generated images to create entirely fictitious "retiring jewellers" and fake "closing down sales" that simply don't exist, with aggressive social media adverts designed to pull the heart strings and entice the purchase of an artificially inflated 'bargain'.

Watch Our Video Update Here

In this video, I explain the ongoing confusion with the similarly-named company and how to ensure you're shopping with the real Scarlett Jewellery.

How These Scams Work

These businesses typically follow a pattern:

AI-generated "owner" photos - Images of people who don't exist in reality, often appearing as elderly craftspeople with touching retirement stories
Emotional storytelling - Heart-tugging narratives about closing a lifelong business or liquidating a deceased relative's inventory
Fake/Paid endorsements - they sometimes are caught paying people via sites like people-per-hour or Fiverr to pretend they have purchased a piece and endorse the high quality and customer service
Too-good-to-be-true prices - "Handcrafted" pieces offered at fraction of their supposed value
Drop Shipped products - The same items available on marketplaces like Amazon, Temu, or AliExpress at similar or far lower prices
Poor customer service - Orders never arrive, or vastly different items are sent

Learn More About This Scam Tactic

This video breaks down how these AI-fronted businesses operate and what red flags to watch for.

How To Protect Yourself

Before making any online jewellery purchase:

✅ Reverse image search - Check if product photos appear elsewhere online

✅ Research the business - Look for genuine reviews, physical addresses, and established social media presence. If there's no phone number or the email address doesn't work it's a big red flag

✅ Check domain age - Many scam sites are only weeks or months old

✅ Verify the "person" - Do a reverse image search on photos of supposed owners.

✅ Check the ads - if you've seen them advertise on social media see how many ads they are running and how long their social pages have been active for.

✅ Trust your instincts - If something feels off, it probably is

Why This Matters To Scarlett Jewellery

I'm receiving multiple messages daily from people who've been scammed by companies using similar names or tactics. While I can't help with orders placed elsewhere, I can help spread awareness. This issue is taking up hours of my week which would be far better spent making actual jewellery (which is what I love!) - instead I'm having to deal with constant web chats, emails and phone calls chasing orders that aren't from me.

Building a legitimate jewellery business takes years of hard work, genuine customer relationships, and pride in craftsmanship. It's devastating to see people lose money to AI-generated facades that exist only to deceive.

If You've Been Affected

If you've ordered from a suspicious jewellery retailer and haven't received your items:

Contact your bank or credit card provider immediately to dispute the charge
Report to Action Fraud (UK): 0300 123 2040
Leave honest reviews on Trustpilot for example
Share your experience on social media and tell people in person what's happened to you to help protect other shoppers

Stay safe out there, and please share this post to help protect others from these sophisticated scams.

Have you encountered suspicious online jewellery retailers? Share your experience in the comments below to help others stay vigilant.

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When you buy solid gold jewellery from me (or any legitimate jeweller), you're buying the actual precious metal. I can't just decide to charge less because I fancy it - the gold costs what it costs. If I'm making stock of 9ct gold signet rings, I'm buying gold at market price, and that cost gets passed on. There's no way around it. Here's the chart for this year so far, and economists predict it's only going to get more expensive. Every time some sort of economic turmoil happens in the world, or financial crisis, gold usually jumps higher. It may drop slightly but these high prices are likely here to stay. What You're Actually Paying For This is what goes into the price of a real gold piece of jewellery when you buy it from me: The Metal Itself This is the biggest chunk. Gold is weighed and priced per gram. A small pendant or gold charm might only be a few grams, but multiply that by the current gold price and you're already at a significant cost before I've even touched it. And that's just the raw material. The Craftsmanship Most of my gold pieces come in as small batch castings, they get cleaned up, hallmarked, and engraved (which I do for free on most pieces - that alone takes time and skill). If it's a ring, I'll size it to fit you perfectly. There can be hours of skilled work involved. You're not just buying a lump of gold, you're buying years of experience and the care that goes into making each piece wearable and personal to you. Hallmarking Every piece of solid gold (and silver) jewellery in the UK over a certain weight must be hallmarked by an official assay office. This costs money and takes time, but it's your guarantee that what you're buying is actually the precious metal it claims to be. It's a legal requirement and a protection for you as the buyer. How Do Big Retailers Sell Gold Cheaper? Some large high street & online jewellers seem to have lower prices than independent makers like me. 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Protecting Yourself From AI-Generated Fake Jewellery Retailers