New York, NY – The Halls of Congress were especially busy this year, as Jewelers of America leadership and members met with lawmakers to discuss policies and issues impacting the jewelry industry. The annual fly-in, led by the Jewelers of America Political Action Committee (JAPAC), was held on Wednesday, September 17. JAPAC is the only PAC that supports the fine jewelry industry in Washington, D.C.
This year’s visit focused on two critical concerns: the across-the-board tariffs that have been implemented by the Trump Administration, and the continuing threat of organized retail crime to jewelry businesses.
“Right now it’s an all hands on deck situation in dealing with the tariffs, which have strained and caused major disruptions to the global supply chain,” says JA President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. “The majority of retailers and manufacturers in the U.S. are dependent on diamonds and gemstones that cannot be sourced in the U.S.”
The meetings on Capitol Hill come a month after Bonaparte made that argument directly to the Trump Administration when he met with Senior Trade Counsel Dr. Peter Navaro on August 19 in D.C. Those talks led to some progress as the administration announced potential exemptions for diamonds, gemstones and pearls. However, any tariff relief is dependent on countries reaching unilateral trade agreements with the U.S., something that continues to elude important jewelry markets like India, which currently has a 50 percent tariff on goods imported into the U.S.
Fly-in attendees told members of congress that such rates are unsustainable without some impact on their businesses—whether shrinking already tight margins, passing along costs to customers or having to cut back on what they can invest in their employees and local communities.
“So much of what we do in the jewelry industry is small and family owned,” explained Michael Page, third-generation owner of Hingham Jewelers in Hingham, MA, when speaking to Rep. Gabe Amo, (D, RI-01) “When we are able to succeed, we can then invest in our communities.” This was Page’s first fly-in andit made a positive impression. “Having direct access to lawmakers during times of such dramatic policy change is invaluable,” he said. “The legislators we met with seemed genuinely interested in hearing how national politics is impacting our small, family-owned business.”
In addition to discussing tariffs, Jewelers also asked lawmakers to get behind the Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 (S. 1404/H.R. 2853) by becoming a co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation. The group met with Rep. Dave Joyce (R, OH-14) who introduced the legislation in the House.
“Participating absolutely does make a difference,” said Brian Alter, owner of Alter’s Gem Jewelry and a member of the JAPAC Board. “This year over 20 elected officials heard from us. One actually signed on as a co-sponsor of the crime bill while we were in his office.”
The bill would strengthen federal coordination and equip local and state law enforcement to better identify and investigate ORC groups. It creates a federal Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center to streamline intelligence-sharing and multi-agency collaboration, a critical step for retailers to effectively combat criminal activities.
In addition to Rep. Joyce, the group hosted members of Congress during lunch including Reps. Darrell Issa (R, CA-48), Claudia Tenney (R, NY-24), Young Kim (R, CA-40) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R, IA-01). During dinner the jewelers met with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI).
Throughout the fly-in JA members also met with legislative staff and a wide array of lawmakers including:
From the U.S. Senate:
- Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
- Patty Murray (D-WA)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
From the U.S. House of Representatives:
- Jim Jordan (R, OH-4), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
- Pete Sessions (R, TX-17)
- Sarah Elfreth (D, MD-03)
- Kim Schrier, M.D. (D, WA-08)
- Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10)
- Andy Barr (R, KY-06)
- Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07)
- Adam Smith (D, WA-09)
- Rick Larsen (D, WA-02)
- Ro Khanna (D, CA-17)
- George Whitesides (D, CA-27)
- Emily Randall (D, WA-06)
- Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01)
- Aumua Amata (R, American Samoa)
Besides Page, attendance for the event included Jewelers of America Members from a variety of jewelry firms across the country:
- Brian Alter, Alter’s Gem Jewelry, Beaumont, TX
- Lawrence and Katy Bock, Bachendorf's; Dallas, TX
- Jon Bridge, Ben Bridge Jeweler; Seattle, WA
- Coleman Clark, BC Clark and Chairman of JA’s Board of Directors; Oklahoma City, OK
- Susan Eisen and Ron Wolff, Susan Eisen Fine Jewelry Watches Art & Appraiser, El Paso, TX
- Bill Farmer Jr., Farmer’s Jewelers; Lexington, KY
- Susan Grant, Grants Jewelry; New York, NY
- Joseph Molfese, Bella Cosa Jewelers and Chair of the JAPAC Board; Willowbrook, IL
- Steve Padis, Padis Jewelry; San Francisco, CA
- Constance Polamalu, Zachary's Jewelers; Annapolis, MD
- Ronnie VanderLinden, Diamex and President of International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA); New York, NY
Following its new affiliation with Jewelers of America, the group also welcomed MJSA Board Chair Ed DeCristofaro, LDC, Inc.; East Providence, RI to this year’s event.
The delegation was led by Jewelers of America President & CEO David J. Bonaparte and Public Affairs & Education Director Susan Thea Posnock. Spearheading the event was Tim Haake, Managing Director of Haake & Associates, JA’s long-term government affairs firm and Jennifer Bogart, President, Bogart Associates.
To learn more about Jewelers of America’s legislative advocacy and JAPAC or to join Jewelers of America, visit www.jewelers.org/ja/advocacy.
