President Donald Trump’s claim that Graff Diamonds gave him a $1m discount on his wife’s engagement ring is false, a billionaire jewelry executive has said.
Just before his extravagant wedding in 2005 to Melania Knauss, Mr Trump told the New York Times that Graff had given him a huge discount for her 15-carat emerald cut D-flawless diamond engagement ring.
“Only a fool would say, ‘No thank you, I want to pay a million dollars more for a diamond,’“ Mr Trump said in an interview with the newspaper.
But Laurence Graff, the chairman of Graff Diamonds, has a different version of events.
Mr Graff told Forbes that Mr Trump was “a pleasure to do business with” but that the real estate mogul was given “no favours” when he bought the ring.
Mr Graff declined to specify the price of the ring. However, the Times previously reported that it retailed for $1.5m.
“He paid for [the ring] in full, and he paid immediately,” Forbes said.
Mr Trump is said to have even went back to Graff to buy a second 25-carat diamond ring for Ms Trump to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, according to Forbes.
