BRUSSELS - The Antwerp diamond trade has firmly rebutted suggestions that a lavish ring presented to the United States presidency played any role in the restoration of tariff-free access for European natural diamonds.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), which represents the Belgian city's diamond sector, said: "The discussion about U.S. import tariffs was entirely separate from (the gifted ring)". The comment was made after a pair of Democratic senators sent a letter to both the AWDC and the company that supplied the ring, David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks, seeking explanations and raising legal questions.
The item in question is an 18-carat gold ring encrusted with 321 diamonds. According to AWDC, the ring was designed and presented as part of an official event marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, an event organized by the U.S. Embassy in Belgium. AWDC said that, absent that embassy-organized celebration, there would have been no such ring.
The presentation took place on June 28, when the ring was handed to the U.S. ambassador in Belgium by the AWDC president and representatives of David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks as a gift intended for the U.S. president in honour of the anniversary.
Concerns from the two Democratic senators raised the possibility that the gift could trigger questions under U.S. federal bribery statutes and warned that companies involved could face criminal penalties. The letter prompted public comment requests to AWDC and to David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks.
When contacted by Reuters, David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks was not immediately available for comment and there was no immediate response from any public relations representative or via LinkedIn, according to reporting on the correspondence.
Tariff developments form the backdrop to the exchange. AWDC notes that the sector had secured a 0% tariff in September 2025, but that the legal landscape shifted after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff law. In response, the president instituted a temporary 10% global tariff for 150 days, a measure AWDC said affected the diamond sector.
AWDC said it advocated for the return of the prior 0% tariff when the new tariffs were announced, and reiterated that those lobbying efforts were "entirely separate" from the gifting of the ring.
On July 24, the Trump administration formally exempted European natural diamonds from new Section 301 tariffs, restoring the industry's earlier 0% tariff access. The White House has publicly denied granting special favours, with a spokesman indicating that the exemption upheld the administration's previous agreement to maintain preferential treatment for diamonds under a U.S.-European Union trade arrangement signed in Scotland the prior July.
An administration official also commented that the diamond ring is federal property. The official said that if the president wished to retain the ring, he would be required to purchase it from the government at its market price.
Context and chronology
- June 28 - The ring was presented to the U.S. ambassador in Belgium by AWDC's president and representatives of David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks as a gift intended for the president.
- July 24 - The administration exempted European natural diamonds from the new Section 301 tariffs, restoring a 0% tariff position for the industry.
- September 2025 - AWDC notes the sector had secured a prior 0% tariff; subsequent legal and policy shifts led to a temporary 10% global tariff for 150 days after a court decision.