A diamond firm in Surat has crafted a stunning and striking carving of Donald Trump, using a 4.5 carat laboratory-grown diamond, to present it to the US President who took oath for a historic second term on Monday.
The firm had earlier created a 7.5 carat eco-friendly laboratory-grown diamond that was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jill Biden, wife of former US President Joe Biden, in 2023.
The carving, created by Greenlab Diamonds over a period of three months, is estimated to be worth around Rs 8,50,000.
"We took three months to prepare this diamond, which includes growing, cutting and polishing. Our experts tried to make sure the carving is a replica of Mr Trump's face. This is an important symbol for ties between India and the US. We want to tell Mr Trump that the creativity and our efforts to produce lab-grown diamonds will continue," Smith Patel, one of the owners of the firm, said.
Mr Patel said the carving was prepared by five experienced jewellers of Surat. "It was made with utmost precision. It will be given to Mr Trump as a present," he said.
Surat is known for its diamond cutting and polishing industry worldwide. Laboratory-grown diamonds are much in demand and the Indian government has decided to promote them in a big way to boost the diamond industry.
During his state visit in 2023, Prime Minister Modi had gifted a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond placed in a papier mache box from Kashmir, known as 'kar-e-kalamdani', to then US First Lady Jill Biden.
Mr Trump was sworn in for a second term as President on Monday, pledging a blitz of immediate orders on immigration and the US culture wars as he caps his extraordinary comeback.
With one hand raised in the air and the other on a Bible given to him by his mother, the 47th US president solemnly took the oath of office beneath the huge Rotunda of the US Capitol.
(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)
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