JCK Seal of Disapproval Report, an investigative piece about the U.S. Customs law regulating country-of-origin marks on imports

Originally published in the Winter 2008 issue of JCK Luxury magazine

Outrage over poor-quality imports has more shoppers scrutinizing “Made in” labels on products. Country-of-origin marks on imports aren’t optional—they are the law—yet many fine jewelers and jewelry designers disregard it for reasons ranging from ignorance to ego.

Seal of Disapproval is an eight-page investigative piece about a largely ignored U.S. Customs law regulating country-of-origin marks on imports. JCK interviewed jewelry designers, retail store owners, U.S. Customs and Federal Trade Commission officials, various industry associations, consumers, and others to provide a thorough look at a timely issue that could put some in the jewelry industry at risk because of noncompliance.

Included in the article are:

Mentions of multiple sources of consumer research on COO;
Summaries of the law requiring disclosure of origin for imports and guidelines for the FTC’s Made in USA Standard;
Examples of hang tags and COO stamps on jewelry;
Contact information for critical agencies for jewelers;
A chart outlining 10 years of sales at jewelry-only stores;
A chart outlining four years of jewelry and watch imports by the top eight countries of significance (and a summary of imports from all others);
And more.

This article won the Industry/Trade Reporting category of the 2008 Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Awards from the American Gem Society. AGS recognized the award for its “exceptional contribution to … upholding the Society’s ideals of ethics, education, and consumer protection.”

8 pages

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