Bidens' most expensive gift, a $20,000 diamond from Modi
The 7.5-carat diamond was manufactured in a factory in Gujarat's Surat, using new technology
A $20,000 diamond (Rs 17.5 lakh) presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to US First Lady Jill Biden was the most expensive gift given by any world leader to the Biden family in 2023, the US State Department has said.
Modi gifted the 7.5-carat eco-friendly, lab-grown diamond in June 2023 at a private dinner at the White House during his state visit on an invitation by President Joe Biden. According to the exchange rate, the diamond cost about Rs 16 lakh.
Other gifts too
Modi gifted Biden a 'Carved Sandalwood Box,' a book titled 'The Ten Principal Upanishads,' a statue, and an oil lamp, valued together at an estimated $6,232.00.
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While President Biden's gifts have been transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the First Lady's diamond has been retained 'For Official Use in the East Wing,' said the annual accounting published by the State Department on Thursday.
The 7.5 carat diamond was manufactured in a factory in Gujarat's Surat by using a technology, which recreates the same process that takes place beneath the earth in formation of the natural diamonds, according to Smit Patel, convenor of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).
“The Kohinoor was a Type Two, a pure diamond. This diamond (gifted by PM) is 7.5 carat, which represents the 75 years of Independence. Also, this diamond was created using green energy, so that is also a step towards showing that India is moving towards green and renewable energy -- a goal espoused by PM Modi himself,” Patel had said in 2023.
Earlier in November 2022, Modi had gifted a painting valued at $1,000 to Biden, the US State Department records show.
Other gifts that Modi gave in the US include a 'Wall Hanging' valued at an estimated US 850 to Kurt Campbell, the Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs; a 'Jali Work Box' with an estimated value of $125 to Mitch McConnell, a US Senator, and a 'Camel Bone Box' valued at an estimated $125 to Charles E Schumer, another US Senator, the records showed.
The First Lady's second costliest gift was a 'Steel Fragment Forget-Me-Not Flower Brooch' with an estimated cost of USD 14,063 from Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the US in July 2023, it added.
The US president also received a number of expensive presents, including a commemorative photo album valued at $7,100 from South Korea's recently impeached President Suk Yeol Yoon, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from the sultan of Brunei, a $3,160 sterling silver tray from the president of Israel, and a collage worth $2,400 from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
(With Agency inputs)
