Customs Seize $30m of Fake Van Cleef and Arpels Earrings
August 20, 25
(IDEX Online) - Customs officers in Kentucky, USA, seized more than 7,300 pairs of counterfeit Van Cleef and Arpels earrings, with an "if genuine" value of over $30m.
The shipment was sent from Hong Kong and was destined for a private address in Miami, Florida.
The earrings all bore the classic four-leaf clover Alhambra design, which is a federally protected trademark.
Officers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in Louisville, inspected the shipment, which was manifested as a "metal necklace" and weighed 56 pounds.
"The earrings were deemed to bear unauthorized versions of Van Cleef and Arpels trademark by CBP's Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency's trade experts," CBP said in a statement.
"Had these goods been genuine, the shipment would have had a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $30.37 million."
CBP says jewelry is the consistently the top sector, by "if genuine" value, for counterfeits, and more than 90 per cent of all counterfeit goods seized, across all sectors, are from China and Hong Kong.
Pic courtesy US Customs and Border Protection.