With the jewelry industry facing several issues that could have a grave effect on businesses and their employees, the Jewelers of America (JA) Political Action Committee’s annual fly-in to meet with members of Congress never felt more pressing, says JA president and CEO David Bonaparte.
During their Sept. 17 visit to Washington, JAPAC representatives focused on two key concerns: the Trump administration’s across-the-board tariffs and the continuing threat of organized retail crime targeting jewelry businesses.
“Our Jewelers of America fly-in took place at a very critical time for the jewelry industry,” Bonaparte tells JCK. “Tariffs and retail crime are two major issues that are deeply affecting our members. We are at a place where real changes can happen.”
“Our visit was met by receptive lawmakers who were eager to hear from our members about how tariffs and crime are not only impacting their businesses but also their communities,” he adds.
The tariffs have strained and disrupted the global supply chain, Bonaparte says, noting that a majority of U.S. retailers and manufacturers are dependent on diamonds and gemstones that cannot be sourced domestically.
As JA runs the only political action committee supporting the fine jewelry industry in Washington, the fly-in was essential for voicing business concerns and trying to find solutions, he says.
A month before the fly-in, Bonaparte met with White House senior trade counsel Peter Navarro in Washington to talk about tariffs and retail crime. Bonaparte says that discussion was followed by some progress, as the Trump administration announced potential tariff exemptions for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls.
As a result of Trump’s punitive tariffs—including a 50% rate for India, a major jewelry market—jewelry businesses with already tight profit margins will have to pass the costs along to consumers or may need to downsize their staff or community initiatives, Bonaparte says.
Michael Page, a Massachusetts jeweler who participated in the JAPAC fly-in for the first time this year, is especially concerned about the tariffs’ impact on the many independent jewelry retailers. Page, a third-generation owner of Hingham Jewelers, spoke with Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) during the fly-in.
“Having direct access to lawmakers during times of such dramatic policy change is invaluable,” Page said in a statement. “The legislators we met with seemed genuinely interested in hearing how national politics is impacting our small, family-owned business.”
JAPAC members met with Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), who introduced the Organized Retail Crime Act in the House of Representatives earlier this year, and they asked other lawmakers to cosponsor the bipartisan legislation.
The bill would equip local and state law enforcement to better identify organized retail crime perpetrators, and it would create a federal Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center to streamline intelligence-sharing and multi-agency collaboration.
“This year, over 20 elected officials heard from us. One actually signed on as a cosponsor of the crime bill while we were in his office,” said Brian Alter, owner of Alter’s Gem Jewelry in Beaumont, Texas, and a member of the JAPAC board, in a statement. “Participating absolutely does make a difference.”
The JAPAC delegation was led by Bonaparte and Susan Thea Posnock, JA’s public affairs and education director. Spearheading the event was Tim Haake, managing director of Haake & Associates, JA’s longtime government affairs firm, and consultant Jennifer Bogart, president of Bogart Associates.
Top: Susan Grant, founder and CEO of Grants Jewelry, is greeted by Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) during the Jewelers of America Political Action Committee visit to Capitol Hill on Sept. 17. (Photos courtesy of JA)
- Subscribe to the JCK News Daily
- Subscribe to the JCK Special Report
- Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
- Follow JCK on X: @jckmagazine
- Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
