Customs Seizes $718K in Fake Designer Jewelry
Counterfeit Gucci and Chanel pieces were among the items CBP officers in Cincinnati nabbed last month.

The package, originating from China and heading to New York City, was labeled as a shipment of stainless steel bracelets worth $367, CBP said in a news release issued last week.
Officers found it contained 364 pieces of counterfeit jewelry. If genuine, the jewelry would be worth $717,930.
The shipment held necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other items said to be from luxury brands like Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel.
The pieces were mixed in with jewelry that did not have protected trademarks, said CBP.
Last month, officers seized a shipment of counterfeit jewelry that would be worth $866,120 if it had been genuine.
Intellectual property rights (IPR) remain a priority trade issue for CBP, the organization said in the release.
In fiscal 2019, CBP and its partner agency, Homeland Security Investigations, seized 27,599 shipments containing IPR violations with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $1.5 billion, if the goods had been genuine.
Watches and jewelry represent 15 percent of all intellectual property rights seizures, said CBP, topping the list of all items seized due to IPR infringement.
“Protecting the American economy protects the American people,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “Our officers continue to use their training, knowledge, and skills to identify high-risk shipments and shut down illicit suppliers.”
CBP has an educational initiative available online to educate consumers about the dangers surrounding counterfeit goods.
The Latest

“Art as Jewelry as Art” features works from artists like Salvador Dalí, Alexander Calder, and Max Ernst.

The jeweler is relocating his Beverly Hills store after 20 years and has begun developing a lifestyle brand.

Rio Grande provides a pathway to responsibly sourced gemstones.

It’s the company’s seventh showroom opening this year.


The Belgian organization is calling for entries from all over the world, with an eye on attracting emerging talent.

Sherry Smith digs into year-to-date data on lab-grown vs. natural diamonds, the performance of colored gemstone jewelry, and more.

From laboratory-grown diamonds to design to country-of-origin, GIA's Alumni Collective™ has a seminar to suite your needs.

Associate Editor Lenore Fedow leads readers through the Italian jeweler’s works from the 1940s to the 2000s.

The jewelry trade show is taking place Aug. 14-16 at the Javits Center in New York City.

The sponsorship will help fund programs and initiatives in the upcoming year.

The jewelry giant said the acquisition will allow it to tap into a pool of customers who are younger, more affluent and ethnically diverse.

There were only 250 made available, selling for more than $50,000.

The British-based Swiss designer’s “Pottering Around” collection is for sale at Sotheby’s East Hampton starting this week.

It provides real-time diamond market analytics.

The diamond firm will give the donation at a ceremony in Namibia this month during a trip for select retail jeweler partners.

Tough, vibrant, and full of personality, spinel is a perfect birthstone for August babies, Amanda Gizzi says.

Dorian Webb, one of the designers in the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative, will be the first to work with Gemist.

The charity will hold its fifth annual fundraising day on Sept. 24.

The passionate gem lover helped bring more than 300 different varieties of stones to the gem trade.

The brand has attracted attention for its colorful, vintage-inspired pieces.

Marcelo Tau is the company’s new chief operations officer.

The jewelry designer founded her eponymous brand in 2015 after nearly two decades in the diamond industry.

Sponsored by HiBid

The watch seller comments on future demand, how the crypto crash impacted Rolex and Patek Philippe pricing, the supply recovery, and more.

It features fives sets of jewelry.

Through the collaboration, HRA will exclusively cut, polish, and distribute Plasmability’s lab-grown diamonds in the market.