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Import Articles of Jewelry
Formal Entry
Commercial imports of diamonds, jewelry, pearls, and precious and semi-precious stones valued at $2,500 or more require a formal entry. Customs bond CBP Form 301 is required for all formal entries. You can obtain a bond from a surety company.
Imports of Articles of Jewelry for Personal Use
Personal imports of these items are usually cleared informally and do not require a Customs bond. However, if you purchased them while you were abroad, ensure you declare them when clearing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the CBP Form 6059B.
Imports of diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, not permanently strung, set or mounted
Imports of these items from countries with normal trade relation status are duty-free. However, when these items are set or mounted with some sort of metal, they are classified as jewelry and subject to duty.
Diamond Importation Requirements under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
On September 23, 2004, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Treasury, published in the Federal Register interim regulations to carry out Executive Order 13312 of July 29, 2003, which implemented the Clean Diamond Trade Act (CDTA) and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) for rough diamonds. OFAC regulations are found in 31 CFR 592.101 through 592.801. Rough diamonds are defined as any diamond that is unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted, and classifiable under subheading 7102.10, 7102.21 and 7102.31 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).
On July 8, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Final Notice of Rulemaking (Volume 78, Number 130, Pages 40627-40630), amending the CBP regulations to set forth the prohibitions and conditions that are applicable to the importation and exportation of rough diamonds pursuant to the CDTA. Additionally, the notice clarified that any U.S. person exporting from, or importing to, the United States a shipment of rough diamonds must retain for a period of at least five years a copy of the Kimberley Process Certificate that currently must accompany such shipments and make the copy available for inspection when requested by CBP.
Shipments of rough diamonds imported into, or exported, from the United States must be accompanied by an original Kimberley Process Certificate. The original certificate must be presented in connection with an importation or exportation of rough diamonds upon demand by CBP officials. When a CBPO demands the original KPCS certificate, importers are required to produce the document and provide a copy of the certificate for inclusion in the entry package. A CBPO must authenticate the original Kimberley Process Certificate when provided. CBPOs must verify the contents of the shipment against the invoice and/or packing list.
OFAC regulations 31 C.F.R. 592.301 (a)(2) requires, "Any shipment of rough diamonds imported into, or exported, from the United States must be sealed in a tamper-resistant container." "Tamper-resistant container" is defined as packaging having an indicator or barrier to entry that could reasonably be expected to provide visible evidence that tampering had occurred. Standard mailing and express consignment packaging alone is not considered as tamper-resistant. It is imperative that CBPOs adhere to this policy to ensure uniformity in enforcing OFAC rough diamond requirements pertaining to security of the rough diamond shipment.
Diamonds imported from Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and other countries
Please be aware that there are sanctions against rough diamonds imported from Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and other countries.
Working with CBPbrokers is the best way to expedite your articles of jewelry pass through CBP clearance.