How can I tell if a Ray-Ban is real (or fake)?

How can I tell if my Ray-Bans are genuine?

We've become something of an expert in Ray-Bans so we see and hold an awful lot of their sunglasses. Sometimes our customers bring their "Ray-Ban" sunglasses in to us for repairs or spare parts and we have to tell them that their sunglasses are fakes. Here's how to spot a genuine Ray-Ban from a fake.

Quality and finish
Genuine Ray-Ban sunglasses are hand made in Italy and, as such, are of a very good quality of material and finish. Hold your Ray-Bans and have a close look. Do they feel of a quality weight? Is the finish around the joints of a high quality? Real acetate Ray-Bans like the Wayfarer aren't made in a mold, they are cut from a solid block of high quality acetate and hand polished. They should have no seams or rough joints in the acetate material. If you don't have the opportunity to look closely and feel the product then maybe it's best not to buy.

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Lenses
All Ray-Ban lenses are of the best quality but most of the classic Ray-Ban designs come with superior glass lenses. Tap the lenses carefully and feel if they are made of glass. Fakes very rarely use glass lenses. If it's not glass then don't panic, some newer designs use other materials; Try checking for the logos instead.

All original Ray-Bans have a "RB" etched onto one lens (check the far left side of the left lens) and "Ray-Ban" written in white in the top corner of the other. On fakes this etching will either be missing or of poor quality. The "RB" etching should be crisp and etched, not painted on.

If you have chosen a Ray-Ban with polarized lenses, then the right lens will have "Ray-Ban P" written in the top corner but the "RB" etching remains the same. Of course polarized lenses cost a little extra (find out why here) so you'll be wanting to be sure you have got the polarized lenses you paid for. Ray-Ban Polarized lenses always have "Ray-Ban P" in the top corner. If the "P" is missing be cautious.

Ray-Ban
Aviator

£99 Buy

Ray-Ban Clubmaster

£99 Buy

Hinges
All Ray-Ban Original Wayfarers have a silver coloured seven barrel hinge (see the image below). This means that the hinge has seven interlocking loops for the bolt to pass through. Hinges of this quality are not usually found on inferior fake sunglasses. The hinge itself is held to the acetate (plastic) frame with two metal rivets on the front and two on the side.

Hinges on the Clubmaster will look very similar to the Wayfarer shown below only with five barrels on the hinge instead of seven.

Of course, other genuine Ray-Ban models will have different hinges but always check that they look of good quality. If the frame is made of acetate (plastic) then the hinges should be embedded neatly into the frame rather than showing any traces of glue or melted plastic.

Hinges on metal frames like the Aviator should be held with high quality screws that match the colour of the metal frame.

Nose Pads
Nose pads are the small rubberised cushions that sit on you nose to support the sunglasses. Most Ray-Ban metal sunglasses have transparent nose pads with the Ray-Ban logo embossed into their centre (see below). On a few of their metal sunglasses the nose pads will be a pale peach colour but the logo on the metal centre will still be visible if you look closely. Most fakes will not have these nose pads.

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Packaging
Real Ray-Ban sunglasses come with a Ray-Ban case. There are different cases for different designs, but most look and feel like a tan or black leather. You also get a Ray-Ban branded cleaning cloth. Look for the Ray-Ban logo on the stud of the case; fakes are often missing this (see the image below).

Where did you buy it?
To sell original new Ray-Ban sunglasses you must be a registered dealer. If you bought it anywhere other than a legitimate dealer's store then it could well be a fake. If you are in any doubt if the dealer is legitimate then don't buy.

Why does is matter?
While it might seem that you've gotten a good deal in buying a fake pair of sunglasses that almost look the part, remember that fake products are bad for everyone:

They are often made in factories that do not respect their worker's rights, health and safety.

They are dangerous. Sunglasses are made to stop UV radiation from damaging your eyes and fakes rarely comply to safety standards. As the dark lenses make your pupils dilate without filtering out the damaging UV light, wearing a fake can often be worse for your eyes than wearing nothing at all. Find out more about UV here.

They increase the price of the originals as the legitimate manufacturers have to factor in the costs of fighting the fakers.
Real products come with real warranties if something goes wrong. They are more expensive because they are made with quality materials.
And anyone who knows genuine Ray-Bans will probably see that they're fake anyway. You might just end up looking cheap.

If you're still not sure...
If you still have doubts about the authenticity of your Ray-Ban sunglasses then you should contact Ray-Ban directly via their website. And while we hope this guide has been helpful, please note that it intended as a guide only and that we are unable to comment on specific cases of suspected fakes.