US President Donald Trump is expected to receive an unusual gift from the Belgian diamond industry: a luxurious 18-karat gold ring, adorned with 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies, created to mark the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.
The ring, called “Freedom 250,” was handed over to the US ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, during a festive ceremony in Brussels, with the intention of being passed on to the American leader. In a pre-recorded video message, Trump thanked the Antwerp diamond community for the gift, calling it “magnificent.”
The jewelry is inspired by Super Bowl championship rings and features numerous American symbols. It is engraved with the years 1776 and 2026, the numbers 45 and 47, referring to Trump’s presidential terms, and an eagle with a ruby shield and an emerald olive branch. The inscription: “Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump” is engraved on the inside.
The gift comes just months after the Belgian diamond industry benefited from the removal of US tariffs on polished diamond imports, a development seen as crucial for Antwerp’s exports to the US market. However, representatives of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) have denied that they lobbied the US administration directly.
Although the value of the ring is estimated to be between $25,000 and $35,000, ethics experts in the US have raised questions about the president’s acceptance of such luxurious gifts, stressing that this conflicts with the traditional White House practice of avoiding high-value gifts. /Telegraph