Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) will soon become part of Jewelers of America (JA) under a new affiliation agreement, the two organizations announced on Tuesday.
The boards of both MJSA and JA have approved the move. MJSA members also gave their support in a vote held on April 18. The agreement is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks after JA completes a standard due diligence review.
MJSA Board Chair Edward DeCristofaro addressed the decision in a letter published in the June issue of MJSA Journal, which was mailed today. He said the board did not take the step lightly. The decision was influenced by ongoing consolidation in the jewelry industry.
DeCristofaro pointed to data from the Jewelers Board of Trade showing that the number of jewelry manufacturers in the U.S. has dropped by 50 percent over the past 25 years.
“This contraction not only put financial stress on MJSA but also limited our influence,” he wrote. “In areas like advocacy, especially with recent tariff increases, scale makes a difference. To keep helping our members, we needed to grow.”
Jewelers of America President and CEO David Bonaparte agreed that strength in numbers is key when representing the industry’s interests in Washington, D.C., and at the local level.
“In general, bringing trade associations together under one roof benefits jewelry retailers and suppliers in the U.S.,” Bonaparte said. “It creates stronger and more unified leadership.”
He added that a single trade body representing the entire jewelry supply chain will also improve efficiency.
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