- Tuesday, January 07, 2025
The 7.5 carat lab-grown diamond was gifted by Modi to US First Lady Jill Biden in June 2023 during his state visit to the United States
By: India Weekly
A $20,000 (£16,112.40) diamond 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 here.
The 7.5 carat eco-friendly, lab-grown diamond was gifted by Modi 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 then, the diamond’s cost was about ₹1.6 million (£15,024.38).
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 (£5,019.81).
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).
Earlier in November 2022, Modi had gifted a painting valued at $1,000 (£805.49) to Biden, the US State Department records show. (PTI)
