New York, NY – Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, returned to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, August 19th to continue its advocacy efforts with the top executives from the Trump administration.
They met with Dr. Peter Navarro, Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing to President Trump and his senior staff to discuss the unique challenges that the U.S. and global supply chain for polished diamonds faces with potential increases on tariffs on diamonds coming into the United States. Also discussed was the potential to add diamonds to the Annex II list of products excluded from tariffs as a critical mineral. David Bonaparte, Jewelers of America President & CEO was joined by Tim Haake, of Haake & Associates, JA's long-term government affairs firm; as well as Ronnie VanderLinden, President of International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
“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. 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,” says JA President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. “
In May, Jewelers of America delivered a position paper titled “The Impact of Broad Tariffs on the U.S. Jewelry Industry” to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Dr. Navarro. The position paper outlined how the tariffs are having a negative impact on members and the industry at large.
We urge Jewelers of America members to share their personal experiences on how tariffs are affecting their businesses by visiting JA’s Legislative Action Center, where they can write directly to President Trump and their legislative representatives to ensure these concerns are heard at the highest levels of government.
To learn more about JA’s advocacy efforts and to join Jewelers of America to get access to valuable tools, visit www.jewelers.org. For further information, contact Jewelers of America’s Member Services at (800) 223-0673 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
David Bonaparte, Dr. Peter Navarro, Ronnie VanderLinden and Tim Haake in Washington, D.C.
