Policies & IssuesJul 24, 2026
New Trump Tariffs: What They Mean for Jewelry Policies & IssuesJul 30, 2026
JA Heads Back to Washington as New Wave of Tariffs Takes Effect
David Bonaparte, along with Tim Haake and Ronnie VanderLinden, continue to lobby for tariff exemptions for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls.
JA President and CEO David Bonaparte and World Diamond Council President Ronnie VanderLinden returned to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about the impact of tariffs on the jewelry industry.
Washington, D.C.—The head of the industry’s largest trade organization, Jewelers of America, traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Trump administration officials on the new slate of tariffs that went into effect last week.
On Wednesday, JA President and CEO David Bonaparte, along with JA’s Washington counsel Tim Haake and World Diamond Council President Ronnie VanderLinden, sat down with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to continue to push for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls to be exempt from tariffs.
The meeting came one week after Greer announced a fresh round of tariffs on 60 countries following a USTR investigation that determined the governments did not do enough to prevent the use of “forced labor” in their supply chains.
There were some wins for the jewelry industry.
Diamonds from the EU are exempt from tariffs once again, while the tariff rate fell to zero for all goods imported from six diamond-producing countries, including Botswana and Namibia, and on all products imported from Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia, all of which produce colored gemstones.
However, the 10 percent import tax on goods from India, which cuts and polishes the vast majority of the world’s diamonds, remains in place and could increase.
Congress is currently considering legislation, the Sanctioning Russia Act, that would penalize countries that trade with Russia, including India and China, by imposing a 100 percent tariff on their imports.
The hope is that India will reach a trade deal with the United States before that happens, JA said.
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On Wednesday, JA President and CEO David Bonaparte, along with JA’s Washington counsel Tim Haake and World Diamond Council President Ronnie VanderLinden, sat down with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to continue to push for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls to be exempt from tariffs.
The meeting came one week after Greer announced a fresh round of tariffs on 60 countries following a USTR investigation that determined the governments did not do enough to prevent the use of “forced labor” in their supply chains.
There were some wins for the jewelry industry.
Diamonds from the EU are exempt from tariffs once again, while the tariff rate fell to zero for all goods imported from six diamond-producing countries, including Botswana and Namibia, and on all products imported from Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia, all of which produce colored gemstones.
However, the 10 percent import tax on goods from India, which cuts and polishes the vast majority of the world’s diamonds, remains in place and could increase.
Congress is currently considering legislation, the Sanctioning Russia Act, that would penalize countries that trade with Russia, including India and China, by imposing a 100 percent tariff on their imports.
The hope is that India will reach a trade deal with the United States before that happens, JA said.
“We were pleased to see that tariffs were not implemented on major diamond-producing countries like Botswana and Namibia. Tariffs on diamonds from the EU were also removed, a huge win for Antwerp,” Bonaparte said following Wednesday’s meeting.
“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.”
He added, “JA 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 this is the key to removing tariffs.”
Bonaparte and VanderLinden previously traveled to Washington in August 2025 to meet with Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s top trade advisors.
That meeting led the administration to exempt diamonds, gemstones, and natural pearls from tariffs, but only if the U.S. had a trade agreement with the exporting nation.
That potential for exemption was lost when the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs Trump imposed in 2025 under the International Economic Emergency Power Act, leading the administration to seek other avenues for imposing higher import taxes.
A temporary 10 percent across-the-board tariff was implemented under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 immediately following the Supreme Court’s ruling in February.
When those tariffs expired last week, the “forced labor” tariffs, implemented under section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, went into effect.
USTR is conducting another section 301 investigation into alleged “overproduction” of certain goods that could result in additional tariffs on 16 countries, including India, China, Thailand, the EU, and Switzerland.
JA is calling on its members and the industry to continue to use JA’s Legislative Action Center to write the president and Congress and tell them how tariffs are impacting their businesses.
More information about JA’s advocacy efforts is available on the organization’s website.
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