A jeweled sword from Malaysia -
The Malaysian king's gift basket, valued at more than $8,000, included a steel-bladed sword with "a grip of polished wood carved in the shape of water fowl, held in a sheath of gold and silver with encrusted gemstones." Also in the gift basket: Coins, a plate and a picture of himself and the queen.
A gift that's green -
Ireland Prime Minister Enda Kenny gave Obama a DVD titled "Sustainability Starts Here." Kenny is expected to play an important role at the ongoing Paris climate summit.
A painting of men with swords -
Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica offered Obama a few paintings and a "cable-knit tan wool shawl with brown leather and suede accents." And while there was no sword in this package, Mujica included some relevant imagery in the form of a 25″ x 35″ canvas print featuring a "pastoral scene of men with swords looking off into the distance."
Don't forget the girls -
The late Saudi King Abdullah put together two spectacular jewelry sets for the girls — valued at $80,000 — featuring diamond and emerald and diamond and ruby earrings, necklaces, rings, brooches and wristwatches. (Abdullah died on Jan. 23, 2015, at age 90.)On a more moderate scale but still thoughtful, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key spent about $800 on Sasha and Malia, sending the first daughters four sets of "knit gloves" and "felted hats" in mid-June, well ahead of the D.C. winter.
Weaponized artwork from Gambia -
The Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, presented Obama with a "31″ x 31″ yellow and orange painting with a metal rod attached to top with spear heads on each end."
You could find something like this on Amazon -
The Sultan of Brunei offered an "automatic tea infuser in penguin shape with timer." You can find one of your own on Amazon
. Also included: a "...deep purple snakeskin design storage trunk with silver-tone fastener and handles." A couple books, one cheese tray and a chess set later, the sultan had spent $1,277.89.
"Prince William" from none other than -
From the UK, a "framed, matted and signed photographic portrait of Prince William" arrived, courtesy of none other than Prince William himself. The price: $888.
A million for Michelle -
Saudi Arabia's late King Abdullah sent First Lady Michelle Obama a "diamond and emerald jewelry set including necklace, earrings, ring, and bracelet" and later in the year gifted her a similar "diamond and pearl jewelry set including necklace, earrings, ring, and bracelet." The two collections were valued at a combined $1.1 million.
A truckload of treats from Swaziland -
King Mswati III of Swaziland sought to charm the first lady, though he chose to skip the baubles in favor of a comprehensive kitchen and dining set.At an estimated value of $2,761, his majesty put together an interesting collection including a "bowl on a pedestal made of recycled glass, decorated with heads of a rhino, elephant, hippo, and water buffalo with a 6″ pedestal in the shape of a hippo. Two customized glass mugs with silver jaguar-shaped handles. Clear glass and metal drink ware set consisting of 8.5″ ice bucket with jaguar heads applied over glass knob handles, six 9.25″ goblets, each featuring silver-tone head of an animal, and set of six bottle stoppers of blown glass in the shape of an animal."
For a caped crusader -
Prince Miteb, son of Abdullah and head of the Saudi National Guard, presented the Obama family last month with a "robe of sheer white fabric with a beaded flower pattern and pink-purple trim." The package also included an "orange sheer fabric floor-length cape," and a "brown and blue paisley robe with satin purple lining and tassels."Estimated value: $39,915.
Don't try to get this past the TSA -
A pointed delivery came from Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, who provided the president with a "ceremonial dagger decorated with detailed silver work and coral stones." A bargain at just $885.
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