{"id":6375,"date":"2026-07-03T17:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6375"},"modified":"2026-07-03T17:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:05:20","slug":"belgian-diamond-group-that-won-tariff-relief-gifted-trump-a-lavishly-encrusted-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6375","title":{"rendered":"Belgian diamond group that won tariff relief gifted Trump a lavishly encrusted ring"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By SAM McNEIL<\/p>\n

BRUSSELS (AP) \u2014 Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter \u201cT\u201d next to the Stars and Stripes and \u201c1776\u201d and \u201c2026.\u201d Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman\u2019s logo. A diamond-winged eagle carries a ruby shield and clutches an olive branch of emeralds, below a radiant \u201c250\u201d and atop the phrase \u201c250 YEARS USA\u201d etched in 18-karat gold.<\/p>\n

Read more Messi returns to the field and Golden Boot race at the World Cup continues<\/a><\/p>\n

All told, 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies encrust the watch-sized gold ring presented this week to Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, to give to President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cA very special thank you to my friends from Antwerp for the magnificent Freedom 250 ring,\u201d Trump said in a prerecorded video message during an event marking America\u2019s 250th birthday in Brussels.<\/p>\n

Isidore M\u00f6rsel, president of the Antwerp World Diamond Center, or AWDC, gifted the ring on behalf of the centuries-old diamond community in the Belgian port city, a central node in the worldwide trade of the precious stones that found itself struggling last year under the weight of Trump\u2019s sweeping trade war.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay this ring serve as a lasting reminder that true partnership like the finest natural diamonds are formed under pressure, endure the test of time, and shine brightest when built on trust,\u201d M\u00f6rsel said. The ring\u2019s interior is engraved with the phrase \u201cCrafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

In dollar terms, the ring\u2019s value pales beside gifts like the $400 million plane donated by Qatar that Trump ordered converted into a new Air Force One. But it\u2019s a glitzy window into the role that ostentatious \u2013 and almost always gilded \u2014 gifts are playing by those seeking to curry favor with the U.S. president.<\/p>\n

A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said Thursday that the ring has not been presented to Trump yet.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The ring is latest in Trump\u2019s historic break with White House custom<\/h4>\n

The gift comes months after Belgium\u2019s diamond industry won the removal of U.S. tariffs on diamond imports. In September, AWDC said it had \u201csucceeded in securing a zero percent import tariff\u201d on Antwerp\u2019s annual export of more than $2 billion of polished diamonds to the U.S. A spokesperson for the group said on Thursday that the AWDC provided \u201cinput\u201d to the European Commission as it negotiated with Trump on a broad deal on tariffs in 2025, but did not itself lobby the administration.<\/p>\n

U.S. presidents have considerable discretion to accept gifts from domestic and foreign sources and may determine themselves whether a gift was meant for them personally or the nation. The exception is those from foreign governments, which are prohibited by the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution without congressional assent, though presidents could use personal funds to reimburse the Treasury for the full value of an official gift if they wish to retain them.<\/p>\n

Personal gifts are also supposed to be registered on the president\u2019s annual financial disclosure. Trump\u2019s 2025 disclosure, released this week, revealed a $250,000 gift of a sculpture depicting his triumphal gesture after surviving a 2024 assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and tickets to 10 sporting events, including 10 to the upcoming World Cup final in New Jersey from FIFA\u2019s Gianni Infantino, valued at a collective $15,000.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: Would an American just call out for more food?<\/a><\/p>\n

Four U.S. ethics experts told The Associated Press that Trump has broken with decades-old custom in the White House to avoid accepting such gifts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The ring\u2019s value estimated at $25,000-$35,000<\/h4>\n

To forge the ring, the AWDC turned to David Gotlib, an Antwerp-based high-end jeweler whose cufflinks can sell for more than 15,000 euros ($17,000).<\/p>\n

Neither AWDC nor Gotlib would provide a valuation of the ring, but two independent jewelers told AP they estimated the value between $25,000 and $35,000.<\/p>\n

Paris- and London-based jewelry consultant Alexander Levinson calculated the cost at $25,928, while David Saad, a third-generation luxury jeweler in Canada, priced the ring between $33,000 and $35,000. Both said half the cost was in materials, half in labor.<\/p>\n

After the ring was presented on a star-spangled stage in Brussels, musician Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, sang the U.S. national anthem to more than 8,000 people drinking Budweiser and bourbon from Tennessee and Kentucky.<\/p>\n

White said he raised more than $5.5 million for the 250th anniversary event from corporate sponsors like defense industry titans Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, tech firms like Intel, Google and Meta, as well as the European chocolate companies Leonidas and Ferrero. AWDC said it contributed funds, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe media was asking, \u2018Why does it have to be so big?\u2019\u201d White said of the event. \u201cBecause we are the United States of America!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the fate of the ring is not currently clear.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, White posted a photo online of himself wearing the ring and giving a thumbs-up. The post has since been deleted.<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: My husband\u2019s denials might end our marriage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter \u201cT\u201d next to the Stars and Stripes and \u201c1776\u201d and \u201c2026.\u201d Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman\u2019s logo. A diamond-winged eagle carries a ruby shield and clutches an olive branch of emeralds, below a radiant \u201c250\u201d and atop the phrase \u201c250 YEARS USA\u201d etched in 18-karat gold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nBelgian diamond group that won tariff relief gifted Trump a lavishly encrusted ring - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6375\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belgian diamond group that won tariff relief gifted Trump a lavishly encrusted ring - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter \u201cT\u201d next to the Stars and Stripes and \u201c1776\u201d and \u201c2026.\u201d Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman\u2019s logo. 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