So-called “dupe culture” is booming in the U.S. jewelry industry, with replicas of jewelers’ signature designs flooding the likes of TikTok, Amazon and fast-fashion retailers. The consumer movement, where people actively search for and proudly buy affordable alternatives to recognizable designs, is a growing problem for jewelers, and presents a legal and economic challenge for brands both big and small.

“There is a growing market for budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products generally, and in the jewelry industry specifically, lookalikes can be manufactured quickly and at a fraction of the cost of the originals,” explains Kristin Grant, patent attorney and founder of Grant Attorneys at Law PLLC, specialists in business and intellectual property law.

Significantly, dupes are different from fakes. Dupes are a more affordable look-a-like product, while a fake is an illegal replica that copies a brand’s trademarks.…