Authenticated by Aureon™

Built for situations where the consequence of getting it wrong matters.

Authenticated by Aureon™ is Aureon’s proprietary Hermès authentication standard. It was created for circumstances in which an authentication decision may carry meaningful financial, legal, insurance, commercial or reputational consequence, and is deliberately different from high-volume, rapid-turnaround authentication services.

A black crocodile Hermès Birkin examined in the hand

The process

Every piece must be physically examined.

Our examination uses a proprietary 72-point methodology and specialist equipment, together with detailed imagery, comparative analysis and review against the information available to our authentication team.

Four human specialists are involved in the process. Two specialists review the piece internally and two independent external specialists also assess the authentication before certification can be issued.

We do not use AI to make the authentication decision, provide image-only certification or rely on a single person’s opinion.

No AI. No image-only authentication. No single-person decision.

Point proprietary physical methodology

Human specialists involved in every review

2 + 2

Internal specialists and independent external specialists

Lifetime

Authenticity Guarantee, subject to its terms

Thoroughness takes time

When the consequence of getting it wrong is significant, thoroughness matters more than speed.

The authentication market includes services designed around speed and high-volume remote submissions. Authenticated by Aureon™ has been built around a different objective.

Detailed physical examination, specialist equipment, imagery, comparative analysis and multiple independent human reviews take time. We do not believe that the level of examination required for our standard should be compressed simply to provide the fastest possible turnaround.

Authenticated by Aureon™ is therefore not intended to be the fastest or lowest-cost authentication option available. It is designed for circumstances where a greater level of professional process and accountability is appropriate.

Why the service is selective

Not every bag requires this level of service.

Authenticated by Aureon™ is not an unrestricted public authentication platform. We do not accept unlimited image submissions from members of the public.

The level of physical examination, human review, professional responsibility and insurance protection behind the service means it is most appropriate for pieces and circumstances where a more substantial level of assurance is required.

It may be accessed as part of an Aureon Collector engagement, through selected private-client instructions, by approved trade and professional partners, through insurers and brokers, by auction houses, within legal or professional matters and in other appropriate high-value circumstances.

For the ones that do require it, we believe the process should reflect the consequence of the decision.

The Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee

Professional responsibility should sit behind professional opinion.

Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee

Authenticated by Aureon™ certificates are issued with a Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, subject to the applicable guarantee terms and conditions.

Specialist insurance

Our professional authentication activities are protected by specialist insurance underwritten by Hiscox. In the rare event that a certified piece were subsequently established to be inauthentic, the protections available through our guarantee and insurance arrangements are designed to protect the business and the client, subject to the applicable policy and guarantee terms.

A different type of service

Authenticated by Aureon™ was created to offer something we could not find elsewhere in the independent Hermès authentication market: a rigorous physical authentication process combined with a Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee and specialist insurance protection.

The objective is not to authenticate every bag in circulation. It is to provide a higher level of assurance where the value or circumstances justify it.

We do not simply stand behind our opinion. We have put professional insurance behind it.

Care of items while with Aureon

The responsibility begins when the piece enters our care, not when the certificate is issued.

Because Authenticated by Aureon™ requires physical examination, pieces may need to remain with us while the authentication process is completed.

Appropriate insurance is maintained for goods while they are in our care, subject to the applicable terms and limits of cover. When pieces are not undergoing examination, they are held within secure facilities, including secure underground vault storage.

The same principles that inform our advisory work apply to our own operations. High-value assets should be documented, handled, stored and protected appropriately throughout the process.

Case study

Genuine documentation. Counterfeit bag.

An Hermès piece was presented with genuine purchase documentation corresponding with identifying information shown on the bag.

Physical examination identified inconsistencies that the paperwork could not. The counterfeit had been deliberately manufactured to correspond with genuine documentation.

OutcomeThe counterfeit was identified before entering further circulation.

Why it matters

Documentation can support provenance. It cannot replace physical authentication.

Enquire about authentication.

Authenticated by Aureon™ is accessed through Aureon Collector engagements, selected private-client instructions and approved professional partners.

Enquire about Authenticated by Aureon™

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