Spinelli Kilcollin’s Trade-In Bar Turns Dupe Buyers Into Paying Clients

By Karen Dybis | August 24, 2026

Spinelli Kilcollin is the latest fine jewelry brand to address the “jewelry dupe” problem and find a creative solution that gives customers a way to become loyal clients.

This summer, the Los Angeles–based brand started a Trade-In Bar program at its official boutiques. People who bought an imitation of one of its iconic linked rings can swap their fake in exchange for a $50 credit toward an authentic Spinelli Kilcollin piece.

The brand founders say the idea originated with a customer who brought her dupe into Spinelli Kilcollin’s New York City store. She told the staff she had bought the dupe to “test it,” but she was ready to buy the real thing.

Spinelli Kilcollin wren ring — *Interlocking rings like this new Wren collection Jovie ring ($7,400) in yellow gold with diamonds are a signature of Spinelli Kilcollin.*

“They asked our sales associate if they could throw the dupe away. When I heard about this, I thought that it was nice that someone could try a ring for a little amount of money. And then I thought, ‘It would have been nice if we gave them a credit,’” Dwyer Kilcollin tells JCK in an email interview.

“I told our New York store manager the story, and he said he’s seen a few clients coming in to throw away their dupes in exchange for one of ours. He thought a trade-in credit was a great idea, and Dwyer said, ‘We should get ‘dupe jars’ for each store to display them.… That was the start of the Dupe Jar,” Yves Kilcollin says.

The Trade-In Bar works like this: Customers bring in fake rings, place them into a specially marked jar, and receive credit toward a future purchase of an authentic piece.

Its marketing was just as simple. As its Facebook post said: “It’s time for an upgrade. Drop off your dupes and receive $50 in credit toward an original Spinelli Kilcollin piece. In store only.”

Since the Trade-In Bar started, Spinelli Kilcollin said it has received several hundred dupes—and that’s before it even started to advertise the program on social media. Its initial Instagram post got many positive comments from jewelry buyers and other designers, who said it is a creative way to handle the so-called dupe economy. The brand also has expanded its sterling silver offerings with prices starting at $390 to make its jewelry more accessible to anyone who wants to own a piece.

“Some of the first rings we made were all silver, and they’re still among our best sellers,” Kilcollin says. “Today, those sell for $200 to $700. They’re not as cheap as some of the dupes, but they’re made by the same jewelers who make all our jewelry. We realize those prices might still be high for some who like our designs and are considering other fun ways to help make our work more attainable through this trade-in program.”

Spinelli Kilcollin was founded in 2010 by partners Yves Spinelli and Dwyer Kilcollin. They started with a piece they called the Galaxy rings, an interconnected design meant to be stacked or worn across multiple fingers. The look became so recognizable that it grew to define the brand.

Marie Lichtenberg Raizin — *Marie Lichtenberg has had two versions of her self-produced Raiz’in dupes.*

Since then, the brand has gained many influencer and celebrity followers, some of whom have shared dupes. But that kind of marketing also has allowed Spinelli Kilcollin to expand, adding retail stores in New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, and London.

“I also really appreciate the conversations I’ve had with influencers and clients about this. I’ve met many people who discovered our brand through a dupe and bought it because they liked the designs,” Kilcollin says. “There are so many thought-provoking ideas to discuss about this. The traditional conversations have become tired. It’s time to share new ideas about dupe culture and how people perceive design and brand integrity.”

One other designer who got creative on the copycat issue is Marie Lichtenberg, who saw many fake versions of her signature lockets and scapulars—celebrity favorites on icons such as pop singer and entrepreneur Rihanna, making them not only valuable but on trend with fashion watchers.

Lichtenberg responded in 2023 with a fundraising program she calls Raiz’in, which sells what she describes as authentic copies of her jewelry. The pieces are made from resin rather than gold or sterling silver. Her initial Raiz’in resin locket sold out, and she introduced a second iteration with scapulars in three sizes.

Interestingly, the Raiz’in pieces often can be found on resellers sites going for more money than they did when Lichtenberg sold them, showing how challenging the dupe world is as well as the pros and cons of the secondhand marketplace.

Top: A promo for Spinelli Kilcollin’s dupe trade-in program (photo courtesy of Spinelli Kilcollin)