What goes on a certificate of authenticity: every field explained

What a certificate of authenticity actually does

A certificate of authenticity is a short factual statement from the maker: this piece exists, I made it, and this is what it is. It does three jobs. At purchase it reassures the buyer that the thing in the box matches the listing. Years later it supports resale, because the next buyer wants the same reassurance secondhand. In between, it serves as a reference for insurance, repairs, and appraisals.

Every one of those jobs depends on the certificate matching exactly one object. A card that says "Original artwork, certified authentic" and nothing else could describe anything, so it supports nothing. Fields are what pin a certificate to a piece. That is the design principle behind the whole list below: each field either identifies the object, identifies the maker, or records a fact a future holder will want to check.

If you sell on Shopify, the storefront side has its own walkthrough in our certificate of authenticity on Shopify guide. This post is about the document itself.

The nine fields, one by one

In the order they usually appear. For each: what it is, why it matters, and where sellers get it wrong.

1. The maker

The name that stands behind the statement. Use the name buyers already know: the studio name if you sell under a studio, your artist name if you exhibit under it. Keep it identical to the name on your store and your invoices. A certificate signed by a name the buyer cannot connect to the seller raises the exact question it was supposed to answer.

2. The piece

Title plus one line of description. "Untitled" on its own distinguishes nothing, so add the type and technique: "hand-pulled screen print on cotton rag", "lost-wax cast pendant". The test for this field is simple: if the text could sit beside fifty other objects in your studio, it is not done yet.

3. Edition number

If the piece is one of a run, state its number and the total: No. 4 of 25. One certificate per numbered piece, never one certificate for the design. If the piece is unique, say that too; "unique work" or "1 of 1" is a fact worth recording.

Two cautions. A printed total is a commitment, so only close an edition on paper if it is closed in your records. And print makers carry extra conventions, artist's proofs and printer's proofs among them, which we cover in the art print COA guide. For the numbering mechanics on a live store, see the numbered editions guide.

4. Materials

Be exact where the fact is checkable, general where it is not. Metal fineness backed by a hallmark can be stated plainly: 18k gold is 18k gold, and anyone can test it. Stones deserve more care. Write what your documentation supports, "natural spinel" if that is what your supplier papers say, and cite a grading lab by name only if a report actually exists. Think twice before printing full report numbers on a public-facing certificate; state that a report exists and keep the document with the piece.

5. Dimensions and weight, and the word that protects you

This is the field that hurts handmade sellers, because instinct says precision equals professionalism. On a certificate it is the reverse. List 24.80 g, and the piece that reaches the buyer at 24.61 g is now "not as described", even though nothing is wrong with it. Hand finishing removes material. Stone setting varies. Castings differ across a batch.

The protective word is nominal. A nominal figure is the design target, and individual pieces vary around it. Write "approx." before the number, "(nominal)" after it, and add one sentence: measurements and weights are nominal, each piece is finished by hand and varies slightly. If you sell precious metal work, price by the piece rather than by weight and say so, because a certificate that reads like a weight-times-rate invoice invites gram-by-gram arithmetic.

Exactness is fine where a machine controls it. The paper size of a print run can be exact. The hand-torn deckle edge cannot.

6. Date of completion

Month and year are enough. The date anchors the piece in your catalogue, and in markets where an artist's period affects value, it matters more every year. Never backdate, and never leave it blank for the buyer to wonder about.

7. Signature

Sign by hand where you can. The signature is the act that turns a spec sheet into an attestation, and it costs nothing. A printed signature on the card is acceptable when a real one exists somewhere, on the work itself or on your master record. On a digital certificate, the issuing account is the equivalent: the record exists because the maker created it, in a system the maker controls.

8. Unique certificate ID, and a way to check it

The certificate number ties one card to one entry in your records, which makes each certificate one of one even when the pieces are identical multiples. On its own, though, a number is only as good as the ledger behind it, and a buyer cannot see your ledger.

That is what a verification URL fixes. A link, usually carried by a QR code on the card, opens a live record that either resolves and matches the piece, or does not. This is the one field paper cannot provide by itself, and the main reason to pair every card with a hosted certificate. The label mechanics, including GS1-style links, are in our QR code certificate guide.

9. Photo

A photo ties the certificate to the object in a way words cannot. For one-off pieces and anything with stones, photograph the actual piece, not the catalogue render. For visually identical multiples, the catalogue image is acceptable. Paper cards rarely do this field well; a thumbnail in grayscale identifies little. A hosted certificate can carry the full-resolution image.

Optional extras, worth adding when relevant: technique notes, care instructions, a provenance line for resold work. Add them after the nine, not instead of any of them.

Wording pitfalls that come back to bite

A certificate is a set of claims, and in several markets consumer law can treat each claim as binding. The traps are consistent enough to list:

• Promises without an end date. Free servicing with no stated window, phrases built on "always" and "never", offers that extend to any future owner. These can read as warranties, and in some places be enforced as warranties. Offer what you actually plan to honour, with a stated time limit.
• Absolute condition language. "Flawless" and "perfect" set a standard no handmade object meets under a loupe. Describe what the piece is, not a grade you cannot defend.
• Exact figures on handmade work. Covered above. Nominal, approximate, one variance sentence.
• Accidental rights transfers. Boilerplate like "the bearer holds all rights to this work" hands over more than you think. Copyright stays with the artist unless explicitly assigned; do not let a borrowed template assign it by accident.
• Printed valuations. A value on the certificate dates it and creates expectations you cannot control. If a buyer needs a figure for insurance, that is an appraisal, a separate document from a separate party.
• A certificate that could describe anything. The decorative-border problem. If the text could accompany fifty different objects, it identifies none of them.

A template you can copy

Plain text, ready to restyle in your own layout. Replace the brackets, delete lines that do not apply, and keep the variance sentence if any part of your work is made or finished by hand.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Maker:           [Studio or artist name]
Piece:           [Title]
Description:     [One line: what it is and how it was made]
Edition:         No. [X] of [Y]   (or: Unique work)
Materials:       [e.g. 18k yellow gold, natural spinel]
Dimensions:      approx. [H x W x D] (nominal)
Weight:          approx. [X] g (nominal)
Completed:       [Month Year]
Certificate no:  [Unique ID]
Verify at:       [https://yourstore.com/certificate/...]

All measurements and weights are nominal. Each piece is
finished by hand and varies slightly from the next. These
variations are characteristics of handmade work, not defects.

Signed: ____________________     Date: ____________

That is the whole document. Resist the urge to add legal-sounding paragraphs; every extra sentence is an extra claim to stand behind.

Paper vs digital, where each one fails

The real question is not paper or digital, because they fail in different places:

So run both. The card in the box carries the ritual: thick stock, a real signature, the object-ness a keepsake needs. The QR on the card carries the record: the photo, the fields, the edition number, and a check anyone can run in a browser. One is the ceremony, the other is the proof that outlasts the drawer.

FAQ

What should a certificate of authenticity include?

Nine fields cover it: the maker's name, the title and a one-line description of the piece, the edition number if it is part of a run, materials, nominal dimensions and weight, the completion date, the maker's signature, a unique certificate number with a link where it can be checked, and a photo of the piece. Optional extras like technique notes or care instructions can follow, but those nine do the identifying work.

Does a certificate of authenticity need to be signed?

No law we know of requires a signature on a maker-issued certificate, but sign it anyway. The signature is the human act that turns a spec sheet into a personal attestation, and buyers notice its absence. On a digital certificate the issuing store account plays the same role: the record exists because the maker created it.

Should I put exact measurements on a certificate for handmade work?

No. Write them as approximate or nominal. A handmade piece that leaves the bench at 24.6 grams against a listed 24.8 is normal variation, but an exact figure on the certificate turns that variation into a misdescription claim. State the nominal figure, mark it as nominal, and add one line explaining that handmade pieces vary slightly.

Is a paper certificate of authenticity enough?

It covers the unboxing moment, and it suits the object in a way a screen does not. It fails at everything after that: it gets lost, it cannot be checked against a live record, and anyone with a decent printer can reproduce one. The practical setup is both: a card in the box carrying a QR code that points to a hosted digital certificate.

Do I need a separate certificate for each piece in an edition?

Yes. Each numbered piece gets its own certificate with its own edition number and its own certificate ID. A single certificate for the whole run identifies nothing, because it could accompany any copy, including one you never made.

Can I write my own certificate of authenticity?

Yes, and for new work you are the right person to do it. A certificate from the maker states first-hand facts. Third-party authentication is a different service, used mainly for secondary-market work where the maker is unavailable. Keep every statement factual and specific, and your own certificate is the standard one.

The short version

A certificate of authenticity is nine facts about one object: maker, piece, edition, materials, nominal measurements, date, signature, unique ID with a live check, photo. Write only what you can back up, mark handmade figures as nominal, and split the job between a card that feels good in the hand and a hosted record that can actually be checked. The template above is yours to copy. The digital half is one install away.