Former US First Lady Jill Biden revealed that she had considered buying an artificial diamond given to her by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official visit to Washington in 2023, but she abandoned the idea after US officials valued the stone at eight times its announced price.
In her recently released memoir, “A View from the East Wing: A Memoir,” Biden recounts that she received a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond from Modi, who presented it as a symbol of India’s ambition to become a global leader in the synthetic diamond industry.
Under US ethics rules, gifts received by the President and First Lady during official occasions belong to the federal government. However, recipients may purchase these gifts by paying their fair market value as determined by government assessments.
“In the case of the Modi diamond, the PM said it was handcrafted in his hometown for $2,500. He even had the bill of sale. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll buy it.’ Then the State Department appraised it at $20,000, so I didn’t,” Biden wrote.
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“The diamond was amazing,” she added.
The former first lady noted that government officials routinely seize gifts she receives if they are deemed to be worth more than face value.
Although she chose not to purchase the diamond, Biden placed it in a ring that she wore during formal occasions while serving as First Lady. The ring was later returned to government custody. “When we left office, I returned it. The ring went into a warehouse with countless other presidential gifts, many of which were simply destroyed,” she wrote.
India has similar rules for gifts
The account offers a glimpse into the protocols surrounding the exchange of diplomatic gifts between world leaders. In India too, gifts received by ministers and government officials are subject to strict rules.
Official gifts are deposited in the Toshakhana, maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If the value of the gift is less than $5,000, may be retained by the recipient. If it exceeds its estimated value $5000, the recipient can get it by paying the difference between the estimated value and… $5000.
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Elsewhere in the memos, Biden noted some of the logistical and cultural considerations associated with hosting Modi’s state visit in June 2023, including the challenges of planning a state dinner at the White House.
“Something always requires rearranging. At a state dinner in India in June 2023, we thought we would be safe with a vegetarian menu, but there were dozens of last-minute requests for vegetarian, dairy-free, and garlic-free meals. “The kitchen was stocked with fine-tuning dishes to meet the needs of the guests,” she wrote. The dinner attracted attention at the time for being the first White House state dinner in recent memory to include an all-vegetarian menu. Curated by Chef Nina Curtis, Indian flavors were incorporated through dishes like a salad with millet Mutabal, stuffed portobello mushrooms with saffron infused risotto, and strawberry cake infused with cardamom and rose.
Biden also described efforts to respect cultural sensitivities while preparing for official engagements with foreign dignitaries.
“We worked with the designers to find something culturally appropriate — so, no white if our host country is India, China or Japan, as white symbolizes death in those cultures,” she wrote.
