Jill Biden recalls returning diamond gift from India PM Narendra Modi

Former US First Lady Dr Jill Biden has revealed the story behind a striking diamond gifted to her by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to Washington.

In her new memoir, View from the East Wing: A Memoir, she writes about her initial fascination with the gem and why she ultimately returned it to the US government.

The book, which hit stores this week, gives readers a rare look at life in the White House and the rules governing gifts received by the First Family.

Among the gifts she remembers most vividly was a 7.5-carat synthetic diamond presented by PM Modi. “The diamond was gorgeous,” Biden writes, recalling the moment she first saw it. She says it immediately caught her attention, describing it as a symbol of India’s growing prominence in lab-grown gems.

However, US ethics rules meant the diamond was not hers to keep personally. “It wasn’t given to me, technically. It was given to the First Lady, which meant it belonged to the federal government,” she writes. Gifts above a certain value are reviewed and catalogued by government officials, and recipients may purchase them if they pay the assessed fair market value.

Biden initially considered buying the diamond after being told it had been handmade in PM Modi’s hometown for $2,500. “I thought, maybe I’ll buy it,” she recalls. That plan changed after the State Department appraised it at $20,000.

Instead, she was permitted to borrow the diamond for official occasions. “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,” Biden writes. The arrangement lasted only while she was in the White House. “When we left office, I gave it back,” she adds. The ring was eventually stored in a government warehouse alongside thousands of other official gifts, many of which are eventually destroyed.

Biden uses the episode to explain the strict ethics rules that govern life at the White House, where official gifts, events and government resources are tightly regulated to prevent public officials from gaining any personal benefit.

She contrasts the Modi diamond with a bracelet given by French First Lady Brigitte Macron, which she chose to purchase from the government so she could keep it after leaving office. “I still wear it every day,” she writes. She also mentions other memorable gifts, such as a brooch from Ukraine made from bomb shrapnel, valued at $14,063.