Analysis
HTS 7116.20.15 covers articles of jewelry: other under heading 7116 (articles of natural or cultured pearls, precious or semiprecious stones (natural…).
Rates on the nearby lines range from duty-free to 10.5%. The costliest confusion would be with 7116.20.50 (other: other) at duty-free, a difference of 6.5 points on the customs value.
The general duty rate is 6.5% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 71 (87th percentile of 108 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $650 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 6.5%. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 80%, 12.3 times the general rate.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 339910 (Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing), an industry of 1,844 US establishments employing 19,188 people, the industry a domestic producer of these goods reports under.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 7116.20.05 | Valued not over $40 per piece | 3.3% |
| 7116.20.30 | Graded semiprecious stones strung temporarily for convenience of transport | 2.1% |
| 7116.20.35 | Figurines of semiprecious stone | 4.5% |
| 7116.20.40 | Of semiprecious stones (except rock crystal): other | 10.5% |
| 7116.20.50 | Other: other | Free |