Legal controversy in New York between Roberto Coin and an American dealer, Joseph Goldstein on the black jade ♦ ︎
The story is rather singular. On one side a large and esteemed Italian brand, Roberto Coin. On the other, an importer of jade, Joseph Goldstein. Black jade, to be precise. At the center, called to make a judgment, the New York District Court. The diatribe is born on the lawfulness of the use of stone. Or, better, on the definition of black jade. According to Roberto Coin (but the company does not issue statements), the one used for some jewels of the Venetian Maison is a full black jade and the company’s behavior is fully correct, as confirmed by the description of the jewels in the sales information. According to Goldstein, however, only the stone certified by a Chinese body, Ngtc, can really be considered the pure mineral, the one with official license.
In support of his thesis, the importer of the stone, which defines a “solid alternative to black diamonds”, sent a full indictment to the New York judges.
But the reality is that it is only a defensive move, given that the first to take legal action against the American dealer were the lawyers of Roberto Coin.
Will the magistrates of the District Court be able to grasp the crux of the problem? Will they, with the help of expert gemologists, judge the lawfulness of using the black gem? The stone of discord is not a trivial matter, given that Goldstein’s campaign against Roberto Coin risks causing image damage (and economic damage) to the Italian brand, highly quoted on the US market. And, you know, words are as heavy as stones.
