Jill Biden receives the most expensive gift from a foreign leader in 2023: a $20,000 diamond

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According to a State Department annual report issued Thursday, President Joe Biden and his family received tens of thousands of dollars in presents from foreign leaders in 2023. The most costly gift, a $20,000 diamond from the leader of India, went to First Lady Jill Biden.

While the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States gave her a $14,063 brooch and Egypt’s president and first lady gave her a $4,510 bracelet, brooch, and photo album, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 7.5-carat diamond was undoubtedly the most costly gift given to any member of the first family in 2023.

In addition to a $7,100 commemorative photo album from South Korea’s recently impeached President Suk Yeol Yoon, the US president also received a $2,400 collage from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from Brunei’s Sultan, and a $3,160 sterling silver tray from Israel’s President.

Executive branch personnel are required by federal law to report gifts from foreign colleagues and leaders that exceed $480. The majority of presents that fall within that range are small, and the more costly ones are typically—though not always—displayed at formal events or moved to the National Archives.

The remainder of the president’s and first lady’s presents were archived, but the $20,000 diamond was retained for official use in the White House East Wing, according to a State Department document.

When they leave office, the diamond will be given to the archives, said Jill Biden spokesperson Vanessa Valdivia. What it was utilized for was not explained by her.

Although this is rare, particularly for expensive goods, recipients may also decide to purchase the present from the US government at market value.

Several CIA personnel reported receiving expensive presents of jewelry, watches, and perfume, almost all of which were destroyed, according to the State Department’s Office of Protocol, which assembles the list for publication in Friday’s Federal Register. The gifts that were burned were worth more than $132,000 in total.

An unidentified foreign source gave CIA Director William Burns a $18,000 astrograph, which includes a telescope and astrological camera. The General Services Administration will now handle this. Burns, however, claimed to have received and destroyed an Omega watch worth $11,000, and numerous other people followed suit with high-end timepieces.

The identities of the CIA personnel who reported gifts below the director level have not been made public, although one of them claimed a $65,100 diamond necklace, bracelet, and ring, as well as an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra watch and a women’s Omega Constellation watch.

All of these, along with a $30,000 women’s jewelry set from Libyan jeweler Al Grew that featured a necklace, bracelet, ring, and earrings that another CIA employee had received, were burned, the report said.

Another CIA employee reported receiving a $7,450 Rolex Air King watch, a $18,700 men’s Yacht Master II Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch, and a $12,500 women’s Rolex Oyster Datejust watch. The list stated that all three watches were destroyed.

The destruction of a collection of pricey Amouage perfumes worth $10,670 that another employee reported receiving is still pending.

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