A delegation from Jewelers of America (JA), the US jewelry trade association, has met with Peter Navarro, Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing to President Donald Trump to discuss tariffs and other issued facing the national jewelry industry.
During the meeting, the trade body brought up the unique challenges that the U.S. and global supply chain for polished diamonds faces, and discussed the potential to add diamonds to the list of products excluded from tariffs as a critical mineral.
David Bonaparte, Jewelers of America President & CEO and International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) President Ronnie VanderLinden took part in the meeting.
“Tariffs are a huge concern for the jewelry industry and their full impact on pricing and consumer confidence is yet to be seen. We are aggressively communicating to key members of the Trump administration to ensure the jewelry industry’s voice is heard,” Bonaparte said.
“We had a constructive exchange of views and had an opportunity to express the industry’s concern about the effect of tariffs on our members. We are hopeful for a favorable outcome.”
Earlier this year, JA has stated that the proposed tariffs on diamonds are having a negative impact on members and the industry at large, and sent the respective appeals to high-ranking officials in the US government.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
