New York: A number of US jewelry associations have partnered to form the United States Jewelry Council (USJC). The purpose of the new organization is to work more closely together on making sure the US jewelry industry is collectively represented at government and international levels, as well as dealing more effectively on key issues that might impact the US industry.
The new council is made up of the American Gem Society (AGS), Diamond Council of America (DCA), Diamond Bourse of Southeast United States (DBSE), Diamond Dealers Club of New York (DDC), Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA), Indian Diamond and Colored Stone Association (IDCA)
Jewelers of America (JA), Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) and the Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA).
Officials of the USJC are DMIA president Ronnie VanderLinden, president; David J. Bonaparte, president and CEO of JA, treasure; Ruth Batson, CEO of AGS, secretary and James Evans Lombe, director of Ethical Initiatives, JA, CEO.
“The success or failure of US-based jewelry businesses – and the entire diamond and jewelry supply chain – is in large part dependent on a healthy representation of US businesses in the national and global arena,” said VanderLinden. “These challenges on the national and global scale are more than an individual association can handle alone. The US industry needs a coordinated effort to ensure we can protect consumer confidence in our product and have a say on policies that affect the livelihoods of our members.”
“As representatives of the fine jewelry industry in the US, we have to work together to represent the common concerns of our respective memberships and our consumers,” said Batson. “Jewelers represent the last, critical, link to the final purchasers of jewelry. We know jewelers are at the forefront of ensuring that consumers keep their trust in jewelers and jewelry products, ensuring that both the customer and the entire jewelry industry are protected.”
“We look forward to engaging with the US Jewelry Council and continue to support US industry’s effort to lead by example in the areas of responsible sourcing, supply chain transparency, and ethical business conduct,” said Andrew Keller, deputy assistant secretary in the US State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
