Professional use

Specialist Hermès expertise without the need to build it internally.

Professionals advising sophisticated clients cannot reasonably maintain deep internal expertise in every collectible category. We work alongside professionals, institutions and businesses when a Hermès collection, individual piece or related issue requires specialist knowledge — while respecting the existing professional relationship.

A Himalaya crocodile Hermès Kelly on a bouclé chair

Private banks & family offices

A significant Hermès collection can sit alongside art, jewellery, watches, property and other valuable assets within a client’s wider world.

Aureon can provide specialist support around collection reviews, valuation, authentication, insurance readiness, inheritance and succession, acquisition advisory, collection management and complex or disputed matters. We can work directly with the client or as part of an existing professional team.

Aureon can also provide education and client-engagement programming for relationship managers, private clients and family members.

Insurers & brokers

Aureon provides specialist Hermès expertise where an insurer or broker requires deeper understanding of an individual piece or collection.

This may include authentication, replacement valuation, portfolio review, collection documentation, claims support, replacement assessment, market context and specialist review of unusual or high-value pieces.

Our role is to provide the specialist Hermès knowledge, evidence and documentation required to support the wider professional process.

Lawyers, trustees & fiduciaries

Hermès assets can appear within divorce, estates, probate, inheritance, trusts, asset division, disputes, claims and other professional matters.

Aureon can provide independent specialist input around identification, authentication, valuation, documentation and market context.

Where a matter requires a particular form of reporting or expert involvement, the appropriate scope can be agreed with the instructing professional.

Auction houses

Auction houses handle an exceptionally broad range of categories, and maintaining deep specialist expertise internally across every area is not always practical.

Aureon can provide independent Hermès expertise where additional specialist input is required, including authentication, valuation, collection assessment, unusual or particularly high-value pieces, and review of provenance and supporting documentation.

Our work can take place before a piece is accepted for sale, as part of wider due diligence, or when questions arise after a transaction.

Case study

When a Birkin purchased from an established auction house failed authentication.

Earlier this year, a client brought a Birkin to Aureon that they had previously purchased through a well-known London auction house. They subsequently decided to sell the bag and asked us to handle it on their behalf.

During our examination, we identified that the bag was inauthentic. The client then faced a second issue: establishing their position with the auction house and obtaining a refund.

Aureon prepared a detailed documentation pack setting out the authentication findings and supporting evidence required to challenge the original transaction. When questions were raised about the authentication undertaken before the original auction sale, the auction house did not provide information about the authentication process or the specialist responsible for the assessment.

OutcomeUsing the evidence we had compiled, we supported our client through the dispute and they successfully recovered the money paid for the bag.

Why it matters

Reputation is not an authentication process.

For resellers & the luxury trade

We understand the risk because we have carried it.

For years, our own business was responsible for millions of pounds of owned and consigned Hermès handbags.

We understand the operational reality of holding high-value stock and client assets, and the responsibility that comes with it.

Our experience spans consignment, stock control, documentation, authentication, shipping, security, international logistics, client expectations, disputes, claims and the situations that businesses rarely expect until something goes wrong.

These are not theoretical considerations for us.

Aureon Collector now makes seventeen years of that experience available to established businesses operating within the Hermès and wider luxury trade.

Independent does not mean anti-trade

We have left the traditional B2B resale market. We have not left the people operating within it.

Aureon Collector has spent most of its history working alongside the luxury trade.

We understand the important role reputable resellers, auction houses, marketplaces and other secondary-market businesses play in giving clients access to pieces they may never otherwise be able to acquire.

Our decision to move away from traditional B2B resale allows us to support those businesses differently.

We can now provide an independent perspective without competing for the same transaction.

For established businesses, that means access to specialist experience around risk, documentation, authentication, operations, claims, education and complex situations where an additional perspective is useful.

We have left the traditional B2B resale market. We have not left the people operating within it.

Business risk & claims readiness

What happens if something goes seriously wrong tomorrow?

A business may believe its records, documentation and processes are adequate until they are tested by theft, fire, loss, a client dispute, insurer investigation or another significant event.

Aureon Collector can carry out an independent review of the systems and documentation surrounding high-value inventory and client assets.

Depending on the business, this may include:

Inventory and ownership records
Consignment documentation
Photography and asset records
Authentication documentation
Storage and movement of stock
Shipping and handover evidence
Chain of custody
Access controls
Loss procedures
Documentation retention
Evidence likely to be required following theft, damage or another major event

The aim is to identify practical gaps before they become expensive problems.

Where an issue requires regulated or specialist advice, Aureon Collector can identify the point that needs further review and recommend that the business obtains confirmation from the appropriate accountant, tax adviser, lawyer, broker or other professional.

Aureon Collector does not provide regulated insurance, legal, tax or accounting advice.

If £1 million of your stock disappeared tonight, could you prove exactly what was there, who owned it and what it was worth?

Operational & compliance review

Specialist resale experience applied to operational risk.

Aureon Collector can review the practical systems and processes surrounding a luxury resale business and identify areas where documentation, controls or working practices may need to be strengthened.

This can include areas such as stock ownership, consignment records, purchase and sales documentation, VAT margin procedures, shipping evidence, handover records, supplier information and the wider evidence trail surrounding high-value transactions.

The purpose is not to replace an accountant, tax adviser, lawyer or broker.

Our role is to use specialist resale experience to identify potential gaps, inconsistencies or areas of exposure so that the right questions can then be taken to the appropriate professional where necessary.

This can be particularly useful for businesses that have grown quickly and want an independent review of whether their processes have kept pace with the scale of the operation.

High-value purchase & transaction support

An additional layer of assurance when the value or circumstances justify it.

Some transactions require more scrutiny than others.

Aureon Collector can provide independent support where a reseller or luxury business is considering a significant stock purchase, acquiring a high-value piece for a client, or handling a transaction where additional authentication and documentation would provide greater confidence.

Depending on the instruction, this may include physical examination, authentication, review of supporting documentation and formal certification through Authenticated by Aureon™.

The service is intended to support the transaction, not replace the commercial judgement of the business making the purchase.

It can be particularly useful where the value is significant, the documentation is limited or unusual, the client requires greater assurance, or the professional partner wants an additional independent layer of review.

Optional client authentication

A premium authentication add-on for selected professional partners.

For selected trade and professional partners, Authenticated by Aureon™ can be offered as an additional service on qualifying high-value transactions.

This allows the end client to choose an additional level of independent assurance through physical authentication, formal certification and the protections attached to the Authenticated by Aureon™ Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee.

The service is designed for transactions where the value or circumstances justify a more substantial level of authentication and documentation.

For the professional partner, it provides a way to offer enhanced assurance without changing the way every transaction is handled.

Not every transaction needs the same level of assurance. For the ones that do, it can be added.

Complex cases & on-call advisory

Not every problem fits neatly into a service menu.

Sometimes the most valuable thing a business needs is an experienced independent perspective on a situation it has not encountered before.

Aureon Collector can be instructed when an established business encounters an unusual, high-value or commercially sensitive Hermès matter.

That might include a major collection being offered for purchase, conflicting specialist opinions, a difficult client dispute, an unusually high-value consignment, an item lost in transit, a significant loss, unusual documentation or the practical questions surrounding expansion into another market.

Our role is to help identify the questions that need answering, provide category-specific perspective and involve other professionals where appropriate.

Sometimes the most valuable service is simply having someone experienced enough to say: I have seen something like this before.

Training & professional education

Hermès education for resale teams.

Aureon Collector can provide training for teams working within luxury resale.

The content can be adapted according to the experience of the team and the role they perform.

Training may include Hermès product knowledge, models, colours, leathers, terminology, condition, provenance, documentation, secondary-market dynamics, client expectations, fraud awareness, intake and escalation procedures, consignment considerations, handling of high-value pieces and operational risk.

This can be used for new-team onboarding, continuing education or bespoke sessions built around a particular commercial or operational requirement.

Specialist category expertise, alongside your existing team.

Enquire about professional support

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