'The diamond was gorgeous': Jill Biden wanted to keep PM Modi's $20,000 gift but couldn't afford it

Former US first lady Dr Jill Biden revealed she was interested in keeping a diamond gifted to her by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but ultimately returned it to the federal government after learning that US officials valued it far above its stated price.

In her memoir "View from the East Wing: A Memoir," Biden offers a behind-the-scenes account of life at the White House and the strict rules governing gifts received by America's first family. Among the gifts she recalls most vividly was a 7.5-carat synthetic diamond presented by PM Modi during his state visit to Washington in June 2023.




"Sometimes little things — flowers, wine — but sometimes big ones, like the 7.5-carat synthetic diamond Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed me at his state visit — a symbol of his country's bid to become a leader in lab-grown gems," Biden writes.

She says the diamond immediately caught her attention. "The diamond was gorgeous," she writes.

Rules of the White House

Under US ethics rules, however, the gift did not belong to her personally. "But it wasn't given to me, technically. It was given to the First Lady, which meant it belonged to the federal government," she writes.

Biden explains that gifts above a certain value are reviewed and catalogued by government officials. Recipients are allowed to purchase such gifts if they pay the assessed fair market value.

In PM Modi's case, she initially thought that might be possible. "The prime minister said that it had been handmade in his hometown for $2,500 (approximately 2 lakhs 37 thousand). He even had the bill of sale," Biden writes. "I thought, maybe I'll buy it."

That plan changed after the gift was formally assessed. "Then the State Department appraised it at $20,000 (approximately 19 lakhs), so I did not," she writes.

Instead, Biden was permitted to borrow the diamond and wear it for official events. "I was told I could display it in my office or borrow it to wear. So I had it put in a ring setting and wore it to official functions," she writes.

The arrangement lasted only as long as her tenure in the White House. "When we left office, I gave it back," Biden writes. She says the ring was eventually returned to government storage. "The ring went into a warehouse along with an infinitude of other presidential gifts, many of which are simply destroyed."
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