If you live in the United States and make and sell jewelry, you may have wondered if you should label it "Made in America" or "Made in USA" to help distinguish it from cheaply-made imports. American-made products are gaining popularity with U.S. consumers in light of recent quality problems with imported goods. But under federal law, making your jewelry in the United States is not necessarily enough to qualify you to describe it that way.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates the use of "Made in USA" labels on products and advertising. Under the FTC Act, it is illegal to make a Made in USA claim about a product unless it is "all or virtually all" made in America. This means that not only must the final product be made in the United States, but "all or virtually all" of its components must be, too. According to the FTC, that "means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content."

That's a little troubling for most of us who make jewelry using pre-made findings and beads, which tend to be imported. Even if you fabricate jewelry completely from sheet metal or wire, some or all of it may have been mined or processed in another country. However, even if your jewelry contains foreign components, you might still be able to market it as made in America - as long as you carefully comply with the FTC's rules.

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