Customs Confirms It Has Put Off “Country of Mining” Requirement

By Rob Bates | March 07, 2025

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has confirmed it is postponing a plan to require diamond jewelry companies to declare the country of mining of every stone they import.

The new mandate, announced on Jan. 14, was scheduled to take effect in April. But now a Customs spokesperson says that’s not happening.

“CBP does not presently require importers to disclose the country of mining with entry/entry summary information,” the spokesperson tells JCK. “Further guidance regarding if/when country of mining will [be required] cannot be provided at this time.”

In a meeting this week with jewelry and luxury retailers, Customs officials went even further, according to one source in attendance.

“They said that the January announcement was a draft and didn’t represent something ready to be announced,” the source says. “Based on the industry’s feedback, they now see it went far beyond the [original Russian diamond] sanctions.

“It was a very cordial conversation,” this person adds. “It showed the need for the government to engage with the industry in the United States.”

During the meeting, CBP officials also said that if the agency ever does institute a rule requiring suppliers to provide country-of-mining information, it wouldn’t apply to diamond jewelry, only to loose diamonds.

They also said that any new requirement wouldn’t apply to diamonds that weigh less than 0.5 ct. or are considered “grandfathered.” Those two categories are not subject to sanctions, but neither was mentioned in CBP’s January announcement.

Importers are still required to self-certify that any diamonds they import weighing 0.5 ct. or more were not mined or polished in Russia. (Grandfathered goods are exempt.) They may be asked to provide documents backing up the self-declaration.

CBP had caused widespread alarm in the industry when it announced the new requirement for “country of mining” information in January. In a Feb. 21 update, the agency switched the enactment date from April to “TBD” (to be determined).

(Photo: Jerry Glaser, courtesy of CBP)