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Louisville, Ky--Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville said it intercepted a shipment containing more than 7,000 pairs of counterfeit earrings bearing the iconic Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra design, a federally protected trademark.

The shipment, intercepted August 6, was arriving from Hong Kong and was heading to a person’s residence in Miami, according to a CBP statement. Officers inspected the shipment manifested as a “metal necklace” and weighed 56 pounds. Officers discovered 7,319 pairs of counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra earrings.

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. Had these goods been genuine, the shipment would have had a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $30.37 million.

For the past three years, the top commodities seized for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) infringement with the highest total MSRP have been jewelry, watches, and handbags and wallets, respectfully. China and Hong Kong are consistently the top two source countries for IPR seizures. In Fiscal Year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 90% of the total quantity seized.

These goods are commonly sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce websites, CBP said in its statement.