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Tariffs, Retail Crime Top of Mind at JA’s Annual Fly-In
Retailers and manufacturers headed to the Capitol this week to discuss tariff exemptions for diamonds and gemstones, among other issues.
A group of jewelers and manufactures headed to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with U.S. senators and representatives about issues impacting the jewelry industry. Pictured from left to right are Alex Stuller of Stuller, Sheryl Jones of Sheryl Jones Inc., and Cath Tauber of Ball Chain with Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-At Large. On the far right is Ball Chain’s William Tauber. (Photo courtesy of Jewelers of America)
Washington, D.C.—Jewelers of America hosted its fly-in on Tuesday, an annual event that brings jewelers to Washington, D.C., to lobby on issues affecting the industry.
Led by JA’s Political Action Committee (JAPAC), this year’s fly-in included 10 jewelry industry professionals—a mix of retailers and manufacturers as well as a representative from the Plumb Club—and events featuring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, among others.
Tariffs, specifically pushing for an exemption for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls, and retail crime remained the top concerns among attendees.
On Wednesday, while the JA contingent was still in Washington, the House of Representatives passed a bill that contains a fresh round of sanctions on Russia but also gives President Donald Trump the power to sharply increase tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and gas, including India.
Already approved by the Senate, the bill now heads to the president’s desk for a signature.
“While some progress has been made in excluding diamonds, gemstones, and pearls from tariffs, these have come on a country-by-country basis,” JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said in a statement released after the fly-in.
Antwerp has gotten a reprieve under the current tariff structure—natural pearls as well as rough and polished diamonds and gemstones imported from the EU are exempt from tariffs—but diamonds exported from India, China, and Canada have higher tariffs, and those could increase.
“Our fly-in was imperative as we need for lawmakers in the House and Senate to push the president on exemptions for our industry, regardless of country of origin,” Bonaparte said.
The JA CEO made the same argument directly to the Trump administration on a visit to Washington in July when he met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Fly-in attendees also discussed with lawmakers how the tariffs, combined with volatile precious metal prices and the economy in general, continue to put a strain on their businesses.
Related stories will be right here …
Led by JA’s Political Action Committee (JAPAC), this year’s fly-in included 10 jewelry industry professionals—a mix of retailers and manufacturers as well as a representative from the Plumb Club—and events featuring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, among others.
Tariffs, specifically pushing for an exemption for diamonds, gemstones, and pearls, and retail crime remained the top concerns among attendees.
On Wednesday, while the JA contingent was still in Washington, the House of Representatives passed a bill that contains a fresh round of sanctions on Russia but also gives President Donald Trump the power to sharply increase tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and gas, including India.
Already approved by the Senate, the bill now heads to the president’s desk for a signature.
“While some progress has been made in excluding diamonds, gemstones, and pearls from tariffs, these have come on a country-by-country basis,” JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said in a statement released after the fly-in.
Antwerp has gotten a reprieve under the current tariff structure—natural pearls as well as rough and polished diamonds and gemstones imported from the EU are exempt from tariffs—but diamonds exported from India, China, and Canada have higher tariffs, and those could increase.
“Our fly-in was imperative as we need for lawmakers in the House and Senate to push the president on exemptions for our industry, regardless of country of origin,” Bonaparte said.
The JA CEO made the same argument directly to the Trump administration on a visit to Washington in July when he met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Fly-in attendees also discussed with lawmakers how the tariffs, combined with volatile precious metal prices and the economy in general, continue to put a strain on their businesses.
In addition to discussing tariffs, jewelers advocated for the passage of the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA).
The bill would strengthen federal coordination and equip local and state law enforcement to better identify and investigate organized retail crime groups.
It also calls for the creation of a federal Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center to allow for better information sharing and multi-agency collaboration.
CORCA passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 348-60 in May. The bill must now clear the Senate to be signed into law by the president.
Jewelers stressed the importance of the crime bill to Durbin, who attended JA’s Member Meet-Up on Monday night before the fly-in, and Collins, who joined the group for dinner Tuesday night.
Attendees also met with Jordan, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, who introduced the crime bill that passed the House.
In total, the jewelers met with almost 40 lawmakers from 10 states throughout the course of the fly-in.
This year’s attendees were:
Brian Alter of Alter’s Gem Jewelry in Beaumont, Texas;
Lawrence Bock of Bachendorf’s in Dallas;
Jon Bridge of Ben Bridge Jeweler in Seattle;
Susan Eisen of Susan Eisen Fine Jewelry Watches Art & Appraiser in El Paso, Texas;
Ron Wolff, also of Susan Eisen Fine Jewelry Watches Art & Appraiser;
Lawrence Hess of the Plumb Club in New York;
Sheryl Jones of Sheryl Jones Inc. in New York;
Alex Stuller of Stuller in Lafayette, Louisiana;
Cath Taubner of Ball Chain in Mt. Vernon, New York; and
William Taubner, also of Ball Chain.
Bonaparte led the delegation while Tim Haake, managing director of Haake & Associates, and Jennifer Bogart, president of Bogart Associates, spearheaded the event.
To learn more about JA’s advocacy and JAPAC or to join JA, visit the organization’s website.
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