Commodity Guide · Air Freight

Gems & Jewellery

Most gems and jewellery clear with no special import licence — except rough diamonds, which need a Kimberley Process Certificate.

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HS 71

Precious stones & metals chapter

0

Special licences for cut stones, gold, finished jewellery

KPC

Required for rough diamonds only

5–8.5%

MFN rates CPTPP brings to Free on finished jewellery

Kimberley Process — Rough Diamonds Only

Rough diamonds need a Kimberley Process Certificate — cut stones, gold, and finished jewellery don't

A Kimberley Process Certificate, stamped by CBSA at import, is required specifically for rough diamonds — unsorted, unworked, or simply sawn/cleaved/bruted stones under HS 7102.10, 7102.21, or 7102.31. Polished and cut diamonds ready to be mounted or set are explicitly exempt. Beyond that narrow category, gems, gold, and finished jewellery clear on standard customs valuation with no special import licence.

Source: Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act; CBSA Memorandum D19-6-4. Last verified July 2026.

Relevant HS Codes

HS CodeDescriptionMFNCPTPPNote
7102.10Unsorted diamondsFreeFree
7102.21Industrial diamonds, unworked or simply sawn/cleaved/brutedFreeFree
7102.29Industrial diamonds, otherFreeFree
7102.31Non-industrial diamonds, unworked or simply sawn/cleaved/brutedFreeFree
7102.39Non-industrial diamonds, otherFreeFree
7103.10Precious/semi-precious stones, unworked or simply sawn/roughly shapedFreeFree
7103.91Rubies, sapphires and emeralds, workedFreeFree
7103.99Other worked precious/semi-precious stonesFreeFree

Source: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2026/html/00/ch71-eng.html

CPTPP savings on this lane

7113.11.10

Jewellery of silver - findings, not plated or clad

MFN 5%CPTPP Free

7113.11.90

Jewellery of silver - other

MFN 8.5%CPTPP Free

7113.19.10

Jewellery of other precious metal - findings, not plated or clad

MFN 5%CPTPP Free

7113.19.90

Jewellery of other precious metal - other

MFN 6.5%CPTPP Free

7113.20.10

Jewellery of base metal clad with precious metal - findings

MFN 5%CPTPP Free

7113.20.90

Jewellery of base metal clad with precious metal - other

MFN 8.5%CPTPP Free

7116.10

Articles of natural or cultured pearls

MFN 8.5%CPTPP Free

7116.20.90

Articles of precious/semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed) - other

MFN 6.5%CPTPP Free

Canadian Import Process

Confirm rough vs. polished

Confirm whether the shipment contains rough diamonds under HS 7102.10/7102.21/7102.31 — if so, a Kimberley Process Certificate is required; polished/cut stones are exempt.

Kimberley Process Certificate

For rough diamond shipments, the KPC must be stamped by CBSA at importation, valid for the shipment, in a tamper-resistant container.

CPTPP eligibility check

Confirm origin eligibility for finished jewellery lines (HS 7113, 7116) — CPTPP brings a real 5–8.5% MFN duty to zero.

CBSA examination

Goods clear against the commercial invoice and HS classification.

Customs release

Shipment released to the importer at the CPTPP rate (if claimed and documented) or the standard MFN rate.

Worked example

15kg of gold jewellery, Mumbai to Toronto

A 15kg shipment of gold jewellery (HS 7113.19.90) needs to move from BOM to YYZ. The fastest confirmed routing on that pair today is Emirates SkyCargo through DXB, at 1-2 business days.

This is finished jewellery, not rough diamonds, so no Kimberley Process Certificate applies — that requirement is scoped narrowly to the rough-diamond HS lines. Before booking, UAL confirms origin eligibility for the CPTPP claim, since HS 7113.19.90 carries a real 6.5% MFN duty CPTPP brings to zero.

On arrival, CBSA clears the shipment against the commercial invoice and, where a CPTPP claim is made, the Certificate of Origin. Given the shipment's value density, declared value and cargo insurance are confirmed before booking rather than assumed adequate at standard limits.

Why ship gems and jewellery through UAL

No licence assumed where none exists

We don't apply a compliance checklist to gems and jewellery that isn't actually required — cut stones, gold, and finished jewellery clear on standard valuation, and we don't manufacture paperwork for it.

Kimberley Process handled correctly when it applies

Where a shipment genuinely does contain rough diamonds, we confirm the Kimberley Process Certificate is in hand and the container meets the tamper-resistant standard before tender.

High-value, handled with the security it needs

Gems and jewellery carry unusually high value density. We flag declared value and cargo insurance considerations before booking — the same liability-gap logic covered on our Master AWB vs House AWB guide.

Frequently asked questions

No — gold, cut/polished stones, and finished jewellery clear on standard customs valuation with no special import licence. The Kimberley Process is the one exception, and it only applies to rough diamonds.

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Gems & Jewellery · 20 HS codes · CPTPP savings on 8 codes

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