Jewelers Of America Meets With U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer In Washington, D.C. 

(NEW YORK, NY) –  Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, was in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, July 29^th to meet with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, just one week after he announced the latest round of tariffs from the Trump administration. 

Jewelers of America President & CEO David Bonaparte was joined by Tim Haake, Washington Counsel for Jewelers of America; as well as Ronnie Vanderlinden, President of the World Diamond Council (WDC).

Jewelers of America was in D.C. for another round of important talks with administration officials, sharing the message of how the duties continue to hurt jewelry businesses. Last August, Bonaparte and VanderLinden met with Peter Navarro, one of President Trump’s top trade advisors. That meeting led the administration to exempt diamonds, gemstones and natural pearls from tariffs, provided the U.S. had trade agreements with the exporting country. The meeting with Greer comes one week after the USTR announced new tariffs under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 related to forced labor. The latest round offered good and bad news for the jewelry industry, showing that at least some of the industry’s efforts are getting through to officials.

“We were pleased to see that tariffs were not implemented on major diamond-producing countries like Botswana and Namibia,” says Bonaparte. “Tariffs on diamonds from the EU were also removed – a huge win for Antwerp. However, tariffs remain a major threat for the jewelry industry, and officials need to hear repeatedly from us on why diamonds, gemstones and pearls should be excluded from them going forward,” says Bonaparte. 

Despite some reprieves, tariffs on India remain. Under the new rule, duties are now 10 percent, but legislation that would penalize Russian trade partners with high tariffs is pending in Congress. The hope is India will reach a trade deal with the U.S. to avoid paying as much as 100 percent on goods.

Jewelers of America continues to lead the industry’s advocacy efforts and is calling on its members and the industry to continue using JA’s Legislative Action Center to write President Trump and Congress and share how tariffs are impacting their businesses. 

Jewelers of America applauds the actions of the United States Trade Representative in leading the discussions on establishing fair trade agreements between the U.S. and foreign governments, as it is the key to removing tariffs. 

To learn more about JA’s advocacy efforts and to join Jewelers of America to get access to valuable tools, visit www.jewelers.org.  For further information, contact Jewelers of America’s Member Services at (800) 223-0673 or members@jewelers.org.

About Jewelers of America: 

Jewelers of America is the most trusted and influential voice of the jewelry industry. With a mission to empower and unite its members, Jewelers of America provides expert guidance, education and advocacy to promote excellence, integrity and success in an evolving marketplace. Since 1906, Jewelers of America has been advancing the fine jewelry industry, setting high ethical standards and fostering professional growth for their members. Jewelers of America represents a large, diverse membership of retailers and suppliers in the United States, who commit annually to the organization’s Code of Professional Practices.

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