Times have really changed for a few big reasons over the last handful of years for any one in the market for high quality designer jewelry. In the past, if someone wanted to own and wear a fine piece of designer jewelry they really only had one choice and that was to fork over the huge amount of money that it cost.

Sure, there were occasional knock offs that could be bought at flea markets and other similar venues but they were obvious fakes to even the untrained eye. It wasn't just the Internet that changed the business dynamics of so many marketers of designer products it was the mentality of people that ran the businesses themselves.

Designer clothing, fashion accessories and jewelry manufactures actually trained Chinese manufacturers how to create and sell the high quality knock offs that are now available online. Had these business not taken the manufacturing end of of their enterprises into countries like China in the first place then people everywhere would not have the option of buying the high quality knockoffs that they do now.

How do they match up in comparison? For the most part, the greater quantity of Designer knockoffs that are available online are of high quality with some being of extremely high quality. What many people assume when they picture knock off jewelry in their head is shoddy workmanship, fake stones and thinly plated copper. The truth of the matter that now when you buy a Designer fake online you have the option of saving up to 90% on solid 14K gold pieces that have genuine stones mounted in them including diamonds.

Pieces such as these that are now available online are quite often virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article. Of course, even far greater savings can be had on Designer fakes that feature faux stones and 14K gold electroplate. The great news about these ultra inexpensive pieces that feature faux stones and plated gold is that they too are of a surprisingly high level of quality with regards to the level of craftsmanship and quality of materials that goes into their making.

In fact, the level of quality in Designer fakes have risen to such a level in recent times that one new problem that has manifested itself online is people selling knockoff jewelry as the genuine article. It is for this one reason alone that more and more people that would otherwise be in the market for genuine Designer jewelry are deciding to now take the knockoff route when buying jewelry online.

They figure, why take the risk and besides if the knockoff is so much cheaper and at the same time virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article why throw good hard earned money away when there is so much savings to be had online. One more great aspect if the new ready availability of high quality knock off jewelry is that working people that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to look their best can now look just as good as anyone else when they step out.

Read this great guide for more information: "Caveats to Look For When Buying Certain Yurman Jewelry"

With more and more people doing their shopping on ebay and other places on the Internet and the sophistication of product counterfeiters also on the rise, it is no surprise that more and more people are finding themselves on the receiving end of Internet rip off schemes. Just about everything in the way of high fashion clothing, accessories and designer jewelry is now being counterfeited in overseas countries and it is mostly China where it is taking place.

Unfortunately the Chinese government views the rest of the world in much the same way as a hungry cat sees a goldfish swimming around in a bowl, so they aren't now and never will lift a finger against Chinese citizens who are victimizing foreigners on the Internet. This means that if you plan on buying and even selling on ebay or anywhere else on the net, learning how to protect yourself and your clients from these rip off artists is now a must.

They have learned some time back that exceedingly low prices on their knockoffs is a number one giveaway that it is a fake so now many of them charge top dollar for their fake goods so you can't tell by price anymore whether or not an item is a fake. Of course Designer jewelry is now being counterfeited and that goes for virtually every type of jewelry that he designs and produces.

Many of these knockoff Designer pieces come complete with a Designer bag including a polishing cloth and a certificate of authenticity as well. While the knockoffs may be made with real stones, 14K gold and have a DY stamp on them, the quality of the stones and craftsmanship will always be less than with a legitimate Designer piece.

Many times the sellers will have slightly fuzzy pictures on their website to disguise the inferior quality of the pieces that they are selling, so if there is any problem at all with the pictures avoid that site like the plague no matter what lame excuse they give for the bad photos.

Sellers of authentic Designer pieces will always show clear close up pictures and some show detailed pictures from several different angles. Another thing to check for is what the positive feedback for a sight is actually for. For instance, if a sight is selling a variety of cheap jewelry and getting positive feedback for it, it will show but it is for their cheap jewelry not the fake Yurmans that they are also ripping people off with on on the side.

Another thing to watch out for is sellers on ebay that have several of the same items for sale and are unwilling to share with you where they acquired them. In the end what is most important is to make a determination as to the authenticity of a piece of jewelry before you acquire it in a transaction, because after you buy a piece of jewelry and a jeweler tells you that it is a fake it is too late. When you come across any designer jewelry for sale on the Internet and you have a gut feeling that something just isn't right it is always best to pass on it.

Read this ebay guide: "Recognizing Authentic Designer Vs. Copy Pieces" for more information on spotting Designer replicas.

Ever since I first started noticing Designer cable style jewelry being worn by people at parties and in clubs I have wanted to own at least one Designer myself. I particularly liked his classic braided gold and sterling silver bracelets that I have noticed more and more people wearing over the years. I never have been much of a man for wearing bracelets but I really did like the way that they had a genuine masculine look to them.

It was four years ago while I was vacationing for Mardi Gras in New Orleans that me and a few friends got lost in the French Quarter after an afternoon of bar hopping. We finally found our way out at the top end at Canal St. and eventually found our way up to the Saks Fifth Avenue store a hand full of blocks away.

It was in that store that I finally got my first look a a Designer display case and I was ready to buy that braided cable bracelet that I had always dreamed of. What was to stop me?

I got hit solid with a case of sticker shock. There was just no way that I was going to pay that kind of money for a bracelet and before long we moved along towards the store exit and I just figured that I would never own a Designer cable bracelet, unless of course I won the lottery.

It was just two weeks later when I was back at work as a bank cashier in the small Florida town that I grew up in that a regular customer stepped up to my counter with a beautiful Designer cable bracelet on his wrist.

“Man” I said “ I love your Designer but I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money” He chuckled and told me “Neither can I its a knock off that cost me less than a hundred bucks but don't tell anyone, because everyone that sees it thinks it a genuine Designer”. To make a long story short he gave me the website to find what I was looking for and now I am the happy owner of a total of two Designer “knockoff” cable bracelets and a solid 14K gold diamond knockoff cable ring as well.

Do I feel bad about buying knockoff jewelry? Not a bit and do you think Designer invented the cable in the first place? Hell no he didn't and if he can't come out with a line of more affordable product for joe-six-pack working stiffs like myself then I will find someone that does have what I am looking for and can afford. I'll be damned if I am going to spend a whole weeks wages on a bracelet and that is why I love Designer knockoff jewelry.

Find my recommendations for my favorite Designer replica jewelry here. You'll also find the best sales there as well.

Designer made his debut into the world of high end jewelry design back in 1979 and in his dog tags one can see how he has reached back to his early roots for inspiration in creating these unique and beautiful pieces of wearable art. What many people don't realize today is that back in the late sixties and early seventies dog tag jewelry had a short run of popularity.

A Short History of Dog Tags

It was a fashion accessory that was born from the Vietnam war and it was mostly counterculture types that would be seen wearing it. Also, many veterans of the Vietnam conflict chose to wear their dog tags long after they had been returned home in remembrance of their friends and buds both alive and dead that that had left behind in the “ugly war” of the sixties and seventies.

Designer: Bringing Dog Tags Back

The clever thing that Designer has done with his dog tags is to make sure that each one has a unique story to tell just as the dog tags that the rebels and the vets of that earlier era did. For instance, his great looking red petrified dinosaur bone dog tags each have an untold story locked away inside of them. They come in a choice of .925 sterling silver or in 14K gold. No two are alike and the pattern in the petrified dinosaur bone is mesmerizing to behold.

One thing that does separate the two however is price as the silver tag on a silver chain will run you around six hundred dollars while the gold tag on a gold chain will cost you around two-thousand dollars more. All the same though, it is nice that just as with most all of his other creations Designer has seen to it that there is a wide range of prices to select from.

Then for a more authentic “dog tag” look he has a solid sterling silver dog tag that might be the better choice for the dog tag “purists” that are out there. Then there is the Designer dog tags in his Naturals collection that feature natural textures found in nature presented in solid sterling silver for around six hundred dollars each. The Rhinoceros textured dog tag for instance, is surfaced with a texture that was inspired from the unique texture on the skins surface of a Rhinoceros.

While this might sound odd when one reads about it, once it is seen with the naked eye it all makes such perfect sense. One great aspect of Designer dog tags is that they easily make the perfect gift for the man who already has everything. Also, Designer has a wide selection of great looking delicately crafted dog tags in both silver and gold for the woman in your life who loves fine jewelry with a unique edge. All of Designer's dog tags for women are all crafted with a delicate feminine style that speaks to Designers vision and design ingenuity.