Jewelry industry association leaders met Wednesday with Trump administration officials to discuss the trade’s concerns about the latest round of U.S. tariffs, particularly the need for an exemption for colored gemstones.
“We made clear that gemstones unavailable in the United States should not be subject to tariffs that unnecessarily burden American manufacturers, jewelers, and consumers,” said an online letter about the meetings addressed to members of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA).
The letter was cosigned by AGTA’s CEO, John W. Ford Sr., who met with deputy trade representative Jeffrey Goettman and congressman Randy Weber of Texas.
“Ambassador Goettman listened carefully to our concerns and demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges facing our industry. While there are no guarantees, we are encouraged by the discussion and remain cautiously optimistic that a favorable resolution can be achieved,” the AGTA letter said.
In another meeting on the tariffs, Jewelers of America (JA) president and CEO David Bonaparte, JA’s Washington counsel Tim Haake, and World Diamond Council president Ronnie VanderLinden spoke with U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer.
A JA statement about the tariffs, which took effect last Friday, said the new policy “offered good and bad news for the jewelry industry,” indicating that at least some of the trade’s concerns are getting through to the Trump administration.
“We were pleased to see that tariffs were not implemented on major diamond-producing countries like Botswana and Namibia,” Bonaparte said in the statement. “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.”
AGTA said it will continue addressing the tariff-related issues with the Trump administration and members of Congress.
“We remain fully committed to obtaining a tariff exemption for colored gemstones and protecting the thousands of American businesses and jobs that rely on these essential imports,” it said. “To our members: We will not give up.”
Top, from left: Jewelers of America president David Bonaparte, U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer, World Diamond Council president Ronnie VanderLinden, and JA’s Washington counsel Tim Haake. (Photo courtesy of Jewelers of America)
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