HS Code 7113.19 — Jewellery of other precious metals | South Africa Import & Export

The import duty on gold, platinum and palladium jewellery into South Africa under HS code 7113.19 is 20% MFN, with 15% VAT charged on the FOB customs value plus non-rebated customs duty plus the 10% notional uplift. SARB exchange-control reporting applies on top of the customs paperwork — jewellery imports above defined value thresholds require the importer’s Authorised Dealer (commercial bank) to lodge a Bill of Entry and supporting documents under exchange-control rules.

Customs Duty Rate

The customs duty rate for HS Code 7113.19 is 20%. Duty is calculated on the FOB customs value (the goods value at the point of loading onto the carrier; international freight and insurance are not part of the duty base). Import VAT is then 15% of the Added Tax Value (ATV) — customs value + 10% uplift (for non-SACU origin; nil for BLNS countries) + non-rebated duty.

Product description — what HS 7113.19 actually covers

HS 7113.19 covers articles of jewellery and parts thereof, of other precious metal — the jewellery line for gold, platinum, palladium and other precious metals excluding silver. Silver jewellery sits separately under 7113.11; “other precious metal” effectively means gold, platinum, palladium and rhodium-base pieces. The “articles and parts thereof” qualifier captures both finished jewellery (rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces, watches with precious-metal cases) and components (chains, findings, settings for later assembly).

The chapter-71 split that matters: 7113 articles of jewellery (split into 7113.11 silver, 7113.19 other precious metal, 7113.20 base metal clad with precious metal); 7114 articles of goldsmiths’ wares (decorative gold/silver objects, ceremonial pieces); 7115 other articles of precious metal (industrial gold, bullion); 7116 articles of natural pearls and precious stones; 7117 imitation jewellery.

The hallmarking dimension is critical to the chapter-71 trade. SA’s Hallmarks Act (1962) does not require compulsory hallmarking of imported jewellery, but the SAJN (South African Jewellery Council) operates a voluntary system; in EU and UK origin trade, hallmarks from the originating assay office (London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Vienna, certain Italian and Spanish marks) carry weight as authenticity and metal-content evidence. Hallmark verification is part of SARS valuation defence on high-value pieces.

What 7113.19 specifically excludes: imitation jewellery (7117), bullion gold and platinum (7108, 7110), industrial precious-metal pieces (7115), watches not classified as jewellery articles (chapter 91 — though watches with significant precious-metal content may classify under 7113 if the precious metal is the article’s essential character per GIR 3(b)), and antique jewellery over 100 years old (9706.00).

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SA importer profile

The 7113.19 import trade clusters into four buyer-types:

• High-end jewellery retail — Browns Jewellers, Charles Greig, Shimansky, Yair Shimansky, Uwe Koetter, Tiffany SA franchise (where applicable), Cartier and Bulgari SA presence. These import branded and bespoke jewellery for SA retail at premium margins. Per-piece value very high (R50,000 to R10 million+ per piece), volumes are low (10–100 pieces per consignment).
• Diamond and coloured-gemstone dealers with manufacturing services — Stelios Couyoudis, Cape Town and Johannesburg specialists who import setting components and findings for SA-side jewellery manufacture. Often “loose” precious-metal mountings designed to receive SA-sourced or imported diamonds.
• Auction houses and estate dealers — Stephan Welz, Strauss & Co handle precious-metal jewellery in specialist sales. Mixed-line consignments often combining vintage 7113.19 pieces with antique 9706.00-qualifying pieces, requiring careful per-item classification.
• Private collector and gift import — individual buyers importing single pieces from London, Geneva, Antwerp, Hong Kong or Mumbai. Per-piece value can be very high; freight overhead per item disproportionate but acceptable on R500,000+ pieces.

Air freight dominates absolutely (~99% air share). Value density makes sea freight uneconomic; security risk on long transit makes sea freight reckless. High-value insured air-freight (Brinks, Loomis, Malca-Amit specialist precious-metal couriers) is the operative freight specification.

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Import procedure — step by step

1. Confirm metal content and hallmarks. The supplier’s invoice should state metal purity (18ct gold = 75% pure gold; platinum 950; etc.) and reference hallmarks where applicable. SARS valuation defence relies on documented metal content for high-value pieces.
2. SARB exchange-control compliance. Imports of jewellery above defined thresholds (current Authorised Dealer threshold for Bill of Entry reporting) require the importer’s commercial bank to lodge documents with SARB exchange control. This is parallel to the SARS customs entry — not a substitute. High-net-worth private buyers should coordinate with their bank early.
3. CITES check for natural-stone components. Coral and certain mother-of-pearl components, ivory inlays on antique-line jewellery, certain wood-and-precious-metal hybrid pieces can fall into CITES regulation. Pre-clearance vetting is essential for any piece containing natural-source material beyond conventional gemstones.
4. Diamond compliance — Kimberley Process. Diamonds set in or accompanying jewellery shipments require Kimberley Process Certification System (KPCS) compliance for rough diamonds; polished and set diamonds are largely outside the KPCS requirement but rough or unset diamonds in the same consignment trigger separate documentation. SA is a KPCS participant; the SA Diamond and Precious Metals Regulator handles compliance.
5. Insurance. Specialist precious-metal jewellery insurance for transit — Brinks, Loomis, Lloyd’s market specialist underwriters. Standard cargo insurance is inadequate for the value density and theft risk.
6. SARS Importer Code (CCN) and SAD500. Box 33: 7113.19. Box 31: precise description — “[Item type] (ring/necklace/etc.), [metal] [purity], [gemstones if any], supplier model [code], unit invoice value, country of origin”. Attach EUR.1 / SADC certificate, hallmark documentation, and (for stones) gemmological certificates to the EDI submission.
7. Pay duty and VAT. Without preference: 20% duty + 15% VAT compounded — on an R5 million FOB piece, that’s R1 million duty + ~R975k VAT = ~R1.98 million in statutory charges. With EUR.1 / SADC: 15% VAT only on ATV (FOB customs value × 1.10).
8. Security on delivery. Specialist precious-metal courier (Brinks, Loomis, Malca-Amit) for last-mile to retail showroom or private buyer destination. Insured chain-of-custody from port to retail vault.

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SAD500 worked example — branded gold jewellery from Italy

Scenario: a Cape Town high-end jewellery retailer imports a curated consignment of 18ct gold jewellery from an Italian manufacturer (Vicenza or Arezzo design houses). Invoice EUR 85,000, specialist precious-metal air-freight EUR 2,800, all-risks high-value insurance EUR 1,400. At R20.20 per EUR the CIF — goods plus air-freight and insurance — is R1,801,840. The Italian supplier issues an EUR.1 movement certificate under the SADC-EU EPA.

The EUR.1 saves R394,910 on a single consignment — about 22% of CIF. A high-end SA retailer running 6–8 jewellery import consignments per year is looking at R2.4–R3.2 million in landed-cost saving on EU-origin trade. This is the single biggest preferential-origin lever in the SA jewellery import sector outside the antique-line zero-duty 9706.00 classification.

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SARS pitfalls — what gets precious-metal jewellery entries audit-trailed

Valuation challenges on bespoke pieces. A bespoke commissioned R3 million gold-and-diamond necklace has a value-stack — metal cost, gemstone cost, designer fee, manufacturing labour, brand markup. SARS Customs may challenge the dutiable value where the bespoke commission component looks artificially separated from the goods value. The defence is the supplier’s invoice presenting the piece as a single supplied good, plus contemporaneous gemmological certificates and metal-content documentation supporting the declared value.

Hallmark and metal-content disputes. A piece declared as 18ct gold (75% pure) that tests at 14ct (58.5% pure) on later analysis would face a SARS valuation reset to the lower-metal-content valuation, plus potentially civil and criminal exposure under the Consumer Protection Act for downstream retail. The defence is the supplier’s hallmark documentation, originating-country assay certificate, and (for high-value pieces) independent SA-side assay on receipt.

Anti-money-laundering and FICA exposure. Precious-metal jewellery imports are scrutinised under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) and SARB exchange-control rules. Large cash-based or unusual-pattern transactions trigger SARB and FIC reporting. The importer must maintain a clear chain of payment documentation (bank transfers, SARB-cleared payments) — no “informal” settlement against undocumented funds. This is operational compliance discipline, not SARS-customs per se, but the audit trail intersects.

Kimberley Process compliance on diamond-set jewellery. Rough diamonds in a consignment trigger KPCS documentation; polished and set diamonds are largely outside KPCS but parallel-shipped loose stones in the same consignment can drag the whole entry into KPCS scrutiny. SARS Customs co-references with the SA Diamond and Precious Metals Regulator. The defence is per-piece documentation segregating set polished stones (KPCS-exempt) from any rough or unset diamonds (KPCS-required).

CITES on natural-material components. Ivory inlay, coral, certain mother-of-pearl, antique-line pieces with regulated woods — all trigger CITES review. The defence is pre-Convention documentation for genuinely antique pieces, or CITES export permits from source country for current trade in regulated materials.

Royalty add-backs on branded jewellery. A SA distributor importing branded Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari or similar jewellery that pays a separate brand-royalty to the parent carries an Article 8 WTO Valuation risk identical to the chapter-69 and chapter-94 trade — the royalty may be dutiable as part of the price-actually-paid-or-payable.

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Ready to import? What to do next

JLog handles precious-metal jewellery import logistics for SA retailers, dealers, manufacturers and high-net-worth private buyers. We coordinate with specialist precious-metal couriers (Brinks, Loomis, Malca-Amit) for insured chain-of-custody freight, manage EUR.1 / SADC certificate vetting at the clearing-agent stage, coordinate SARB exchange-control documentation flow, and deliver insured last-mile to retail showroom or private destination.

Get a JLog quote — Precious Metals & Jewellery service — insured chain-of-custody air freight, EUR.1 certificate vetting, SARB exchange-control coordination, retail and private last-mile. → https://jlog.co.za/get-a-quote/?hs=7113.19&service=jewellery

Calculate your import duty & VAT — free JLog calculator

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the import duty on gold jewellery into South Africa?

The import duty on HS 7113.19 (jewellery of gold, platinum and other precious metals excluding silver) is 20% MFN per SARS Schedule No. 1, Part 1, plus 15% VAT on the ATV (FOB customs value × 1.10 + duty).

Can I reduce the duty using a preferential trade agreement?

Yes. EU and UK suppliers issuing an EUR.1 movement certificate under the SADC-EU EPA bring the duty to 0%. Italian (Vicenza, Arezzo), French, Belgian (Antwerp), and UK jewellery houses qualify.

Does silver jewellery also classify under 7113.19?

No — silver jewellery sits under HS 7113.11 (jewellery of silver, whether or not plated or clad with other precious metal). 7113.19 covers gold, platinum, palladium and other non-silver precious metals.

Do I need a SARB exchange-control declaration for imported jewellery?

For imports above the Authorised Dealer reporting threshold, yes. Your commercial bank’s Authorised Dealer division handles the Bill of Entry and supporting documents under exchange-control rules. Coordinate with your bank early on high-value imports.

What about diamonds set in the jewellery — separate documentation?

Polished diamonds set in finished jewellery are largely outside Kimberley Process Certification (KPCS) requirements. Rough or unset diamonds in the same consignment trigger separate KPCS documentation. Gemmological certificates (GIA, IGI, HRD) accompany high-value pieces as part of the audit pack.

What about antique jewellery over 100 years old?

Jewellery over 100 years old at the date of importation classifies under HS 9706.00 (antiques, 0% duty), not 7113.19. Age-evidence documentation essential — dealer letter, auction provenance, hallmark with verified period.