Trump presented a stunning ring from a Belgian diamond group that won a tax break

A bunch of diamonds detail two large letters “T” next to the Stars and Stripes and “1776” and “2026.” Many tens include the numbers 45 and 47 in the case of Superman’s logo. A diamond-winged eagle holds a ruby ​​shield and holds an emerald olive branch, below the glowing “250” and above the phrase “250 YEARS USA” engraved in 18-karat gold.

In all, 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies make up the watch-sized gold ring that was presented this week to Bill White, the US ambassador to Belgium, to give to President Trump.

“I am very grateful to my friends in Antwerp for the magnificent Freedom 250 ring,” said Mr. Trump in a pre-recorded video message marking the event. America’s 250th birthday in Brussels.

Isidore Mörsel, president of the Antwerp World Diamond Center, or AWDC, gave the ring on behalf of the long-standing diamond community in the Belgian port city, a center in the global trade in precious stones that found itself struggling last year under the weight of Mr.

“May this ring serve as a lasting reminder that true relationships like the finest natural diamonds are forged under pressure, endure the test of time, and shine brightest when built on trust,” said Mörsel. The inside of the ring is engraved with the phrase “Made in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.”

In dollar terms, the value of a ring pales next to gifts like $400 million plane donated by Qatar that Mr. Trump ordered it to be converted into the new Air Force One. But it’s a shining window into the role of flamboyant – and often embellished – gifts played by those seeking to curry favor with the US president.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said Thursday that the ring had not been presented to Trump.

The offer comes months after the Belgian diamond industry won the removal of US tariffs on diamond imports. In September, the AWDC said it had “succeeded in securing a zero percent import tax” on Antwerp’s annual export of more than $2 million of polished diamonds to the US A spokesman for the group said on Thursday the AWDC had provided “input” to the European Commission as it negotiated with Mr.

US presidents have great discretion in accepting gifts from domestic and foreign sources and may decide for themselves whether the gift was intended for themselves or the nation. The exception is those from foreign governments, which are prohibited by the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution without congressional approval, although presidents can use their own funds to reimburse the Treasury Department for the full amount of the official gift if they wish to keep them.

Personal gifts must also be registered in the presidential year financial disclosure. Disclosure of Mr. Trump in 2025, released this week, featured a $250,000 gift of a sculpture depicting his triumphant act after surviving an assassination attempt on the 2024 campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, and tickets to 10 sporting events, including 10 to the upcoming World Cup In New Jersey to FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, a combined amount of $15,000.

Four American ethics experts told the Associated Press that Mr. Trump broke with a decades-old tradition in the White House to avoid accepting such gifts.

To create the ring, AWDC turned to David Gotlib, an Antwerp-based high-end jeweler whose cufflinks can sell for more than $17,000. Neither the AWDC nor Gotlib would provide a value for the ring, but two independent jewelers told the AP they estimated the value between $25,000 and $35,000.

Paris- and London-based jewelry consultant Alexander Levinson estimated the cost at $25,928, while David Saad, a third-generation luxury jeweler in Canada, valued the ring at between $33,000 and $35,000. Both said half the cost was materials, half labor.

After the ring presentation on a star-studded stage in Brussels, singer Alexis Wilkins, girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, I sang the US national anthem to over 8,000 people drinking Budweiser and bourbon from Tennessee and Kentucky.

White said he raised more than $5.5 million for the 250th anniversary event from corporate sponsors such as defense industry giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, technology firms such as Intel, Google and Meta, and European chocolate companies Leonidas and Ferrero. AWDC said it has also contributed funds.

“The media was asking why it had to be so big?” said White about the event. “Because we are the United States of America!”

Meanwhile, it is currently unclear where the ring ends.