United States v. American Bead Co.

3 Ct. Cust. 509, 1913 WL 19873, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 11
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedFebruary 1, 1913
DocketNo. 907; No. 909
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 3 Ct. Cust. 509 (United States v. American Bead Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. American Bead Co., 3 Ct. Cust. 509, 1913 WL 19873, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 11 (ccpa 1913).

Opinion

Montgomery, Presiding Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

Cross appeals are made from the decision of the Board of General Appraisers dealing with protests against the assessment made upon a variety of articles which were classified, in the opinion of the board and the briefs of counsel, as follows:

Class 1, illustrated by importers’ No. 5670, consists of imitation topaz and other precious stones in the form of hearts, having a hole in the upper extremity in which is inserted a diminutive brass screw ring. These articles were classified by the collector as jewelry under the last clause of paragraph 448 of the tariff act of 1909.

Class 2, illustrated by importers’ Nos. 5560, 5563, and 5565, consists of small imitation diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones set in metal claws holding the imitation stones in position in the usual manner gems are set by jewelers. They are of less value than 72 cents per gross and were returned for duty at 45 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 109 or paragraph 199 of said act as manufactures of glass or as manufactures of metal.

Class 3, illustrated by importers’ Nos. 789, 1207, 1208, 1209, 5080, 5505,5507,5520,5526,5704,7595,11668,11673,11678,12854, andl3503, consists of imitation precious stones with foil backs not commercially known as beads, but as “jewels,” “stones,” “settings,” or some other name indicative of their intended use in the manufacture of jewelry, and which the board found to be suitable for such use. The return for duty was made as beads at 35 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 421.

Class 4, illustrated by importers’ Nos. 14, 17, 600, 2000, 5004, 5007, 5504, 5522, 5707, 7608, 7614, 8060, and 11427, consists of glass beads, bars, and ornaments, drilled, which the board declared to be of such inferior quality as to render them unfit for use in the manufacture of jewelry. These articles were also assessed as beads under paragraph 421.

[511]*511Class 5, illustrated by importers’ Nos. 5528, 5530, 5540, 5554, 5555, and 5557, consists of imitation precious stones, some oval and others in the form of hearts, the upper parts of which have a small shoulder pierced through in the process of molding, some imitation cameos with two holes pierced in the sides, and other articles not in the form of beads/some drilled and others without holes, all this class being-suitable for use in the manufacture of jewelry and assessed for duty a-t 35 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 421.

The claims of the protest are that the importations are dutiable under paragraph 449 as precious or semiprecious stones at 10 per cent ad valorem or as imitation precious stones for use in the manufacture of jewelry at 20 per cent ad valorem, or under paragraph 480 as unenumerated manufactured articles.

The board sustained the protests as to classes 1, 3, and 5, classing them as imitation precious stones — -with the exception of those which are imitations of jet — and overruled the protests as to classes 2 and 4,

The major, portion of the opinion of the board consists of a discussion of the claims relating to the classification of the merchandise represented in class 1. The opinion states that the articles áre intended for use in the manufacture of jewelry as pendants for necklaces, etc., and states:

Irrespective of the fact that these articles are not composed of gold or platinum, it. is manifest that the collector’s assessment of duty thereon at 60 per cent ad valorem was erroneous. They are valued at more than 72 cents per gross, and, as shown by the evidence, are intended for use in the manufacture of jewelry; hence if the imitation precious stones composed of paste here involved have been set in metal they are unquestionably dutiable at rates equivalent to 75 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 448 as materials suitable for use in the manufacture of articles of personal adornment,, including jewelry. We, however, reach the conclusion and hold'that the imitation stones have not been set in metal.

The opinion further proceeds:

Are the articles in their imported condition included within the provision for-imitation precious stones? If the answer is in the affirmative, the protests must .be sustained. On the contrary, if by the addition of the metal screw rings they have been advanced beyond the condition of precious stones and become manufactures of paste and metal, the collector’s classification of the articles as jewelry, although erroneous, can not be disturbed.

The board then proceeds to review the cases upon the subject, and on the authority of United States v. Weinberg (139 Fed., 1006), which followed the case of Lorsch v. United States (119 Fed., 476), dealing with a provision for imitations of precious stones not set, under paragraph 454 of the act of 1890 and paragraph 338 of the act of 1894, held that the fact that such articles were set on screw rings did not carry them into the class of imitation stones set. The court in these cases had under consideration no such provision as is here involved [512]*512under the last clause of paragraph 448, which provides for jewelry •and parts thereof. In the present case the board, although treating the article as further advanced than were those involved in the ■cases cited, held that they still had not lost their character as imitations of precious stones intended to be used in the construction ■of jewelry.

The last part of paragraph 448 reads as follows:

* * * All articles commonly or commercially known as jewelry, or parts thereof* finished or unfinished, including chain, mesh, and mesh bags and purses composed of gold or platinum, whether set or not set with diamonds, pearls, cameos, coral, or •other precious or semiprecious stones, or imitations thereof, sixty per centum ad Valorem.

It is inferable that the board in the present case was of the opinion that the limitation of certain articles named in this clause to those composed of gold or platinum applied to the whole of the provision quoted. If so, the board was in error, as we held in Cohn v. United States (3 Ct. Cust. Appls., 288; T. D. 32575), that the qualifying phrase "composed of gold or platinum” applies only to "bags and purses” which immediately precedes it, so that the clause here involved in its essential terms provides for "articles commonly or 'Commercially known as jewelry, or parts thereof, finished or unfinished, * * * whether set or not set with diamonds, pearls, cameos, coral, or other precious or semiprecious stones, or imitations thereof, sixty per centum ad valorem,” and the question here in issue as to class 1 is as to whether this clause more accurately describes the importation in question than that part of paragraph 449 reading "imitation precious stones, including pearls and parts thereof, for use in the manufacture of jewelry.”

This question should be solved by considering whether the articles have been advanced to a .condition in which they may be appropriately said to be jewelry or parts of jewelry. See Guthman v. United States (3 Ct. Cust. Appls., 286; T. D. 32574).

The testimony in the case was offered by the importers, and as relating to class 1 is as follows: ,

Q. Now, item 5670, what are those used for? — A. Also for jewelry purposes; also used for pendants — little heart.
Q. Do they have this shank in when they come in? — A. I think we imported these made up.

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Bluebook (online)
3 Ct. Cust. 509, 1913 WL 19873, 1913 CCPA LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-american-bead-co-ccpa-1913.