New "Made in the USA" rule

Jewelry Discussion
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This is worth reading. It applies in the USA only.

Neil A

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Neil, thanks for posting this. Not that I’m making this claim, but I would never have guessed that the rule was this restrictive.

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Yes, the new ruling surprised me too. It is good to know about.

Years ago I had a dispute with a major bank that dragged on for months. I wrote to my state attorney general, other agencies, and the FTC.

The FTC sent the bank the most innocuous letter along the lines of “This isn’t an enforcement notice, we’re just curious. Could you explain the situation?” Within days I received a check and an apology from the bank.

So, I hold the FTC in high regard that they took the time to help me. And while it is easy to think they are too big and remote to ever notice if one violates a rule, they might very well respond if a customer or a competitor makes a complaint.

Neil A

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This seems pretty ridiculous. In this age of global supply chains, there’s no way to even tell where every component of ones product was originally produced. It’s hard to think of anything that’s manufactured that would comply with this standard. Do they really enforce this on everything? If recycling ones metal here isn’t sufficient, and all the steel in a car, for instance, has to have been originally mined in the USA (not to mention all the wires, computer chips, fabrics, etc.), can any cars be said to be made here? It seems that the “made in the USA” label is about to go extinct altogether.

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In this age of global supply chains, there’s no way to even tell where every component of ones product was originally produced.

Rio is pretty good at stating where manufactured items and stones are from. Whatever is required by law, no doubt. Specifying the origin of recycled metal is clearly impossible so you have to assume mixed origins.

…can any cars be said to be made here?

I don’t think any company actually claims that. The invoice for my GMC pickup said “Made in Mexico” on it. Or ‘Assembled in Mexico’, but definitely not ‘Made in USA’.

A lot of things say “Assembled in the USA from imported parts” or similar phrasing. I think people just assume things sold by an American company are made in the US. When was the last time Apple made something here?

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For those of us who make our own wire and sheet, are there any gold suppliers in America that certify they sell gold mined in the States?? And what about gold suppliers in Europe? Do they all say where their gold was mined?

Janet in Jerusalem

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For years I single sourced metal from a company who claimed to sell only recycled material. That metal could have come from any source material I suppose. But it was refined in the US, sold to my shop where I make everything I sell with the exception of pin backs and lever sets.

Now I am less concerned about where my metal comes from. If a supplier can get it to me sooner I will buy it there. The time from placing the order to getting it on the bench is often more important than the price of the sterling I use.

My jewelry is Hallmarked, stamped as Hand Made and what the metal quality may be. I date stamp and with bracelets I size stamp. In my mind I am making and marketing my products In The American Craft Tradition. Do I need to be more concerned about this process?

Don Meixner

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Don…Just a thought, maybe we should stamp our bracelets “Made in Jordan, NY”…Rob

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Or just made in Jordan, Leave everyone wondering.

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Just a better idea, BUT how many folks know where Jordan, NY. is? How about the nearest major city to you?
I could use “Made in Toronto, Canada” instead of “Made in Thornhill, Ontario Canada.” Just another thought for everyone.

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I just Googled “Jordan, NY”.
Jordan is in the “Finger Lakes Region” of New York State with a thriving metropolis in 2010 of 1,368 people.
“Jordan is N.W. of Elbridge, West of Syracuse, located on the Jordan River. In Onondaga County, New York State.”
Now imagine putting all of this information inside a trademark?

“Gerry, on my iPhone”

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Perhaps it would be easier to say “Hand Crafted in the USA.” That would get us past the Made issue.

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Or to really confuse people stamp it “ Made in Ottawa, CA
Is that California or Canada

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The Jordan River? Rob?

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Or “Ontario CA”

Is it california or canada?

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Gerry…The only river nearJordan is the Seneca River. Jordan is a small village near Syracuse with a close historic connection to the Erie Canal. Don and I both live here and carry on making silver bracelets as we were taught to by our father. While our styles have evolved in different directions, you can still see our father’s influence in what we do…Rob

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I thought you all were going a little crazy on this Made in USA thing, but I looked it up and it is true! The FTC even gave the example of a piece made of recycled silver and said that since the maker couldn’t prove that the silver all came originally from the USA, it couldn’t be marked “Made in USA.” An amazing example of bureaucratic over-reach! They really dubbed it on this one. And how are they going to prove the silver is not from the USA? Test it for trace minerals? Or does it devolve upon the maker? Nuts, really nuts. -royjohn

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The FTC even gave the example of a piece made of recycled silver and said that since the maker couldn’t prove that the silver all came originally from the USA, it couldn’t be marked “Made in USA.”… And how are they going to prove the silver is not from the USA?

The FTC doesn’t have a police force that watches over what people do. If they get a complaint they may investigate by asking to see invoices that show that the silver (or other material) originated in the US. If you can, you are good to go. If not you’d likely be told to drop the claim. Penalties seem to be reserved for egregious violators.

The basic premise behind “Made in the USA” is “For a product to be labeled “Made in the USA,” not only must “significant processing” take place in the United States, but “all or virtually all” of its component parts must be produced here too.” You may have issues with the basic premise, but their position on materials is consistent with it.

I have much less of a problem with the FTC than I do with California’s prop.65 extremism.

The article does state: “… most qualified claims pass muster, such as “Made in the USA with the world’s finest materials,” or “Made in the USA with Italian gold,” or “Made in the USA with Sri Lankan sapphires.””

Personally, I don’t see a problem. Don’t claim or imply what you can’t support. Being honest with consumers is not a bad thing.

Neil A

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Heck, since gold is not a natural element of earth but introduced by an asteroid or some other non-terrestrial object we might have to say of gold that it came from outer space! Hi Janet!

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