Brunei queen gave Michelle Obama official gift of jewellery worth US$71,000

Members of the Obama administration received thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders, but first lady Michelle Obama appears to have received the most expensive gift last year - jewellery worth US$71,468 from the queen of Brunei.

The flower-shaped white gold earrings, ring and necklace, which Mrs Obama received in 2013, were studded with yellow sapphires and diamonds, according to the State Department's annual accounting of gifts published in the Federal Register.

That is almost seven times more valuable than the most expensive gift received by President Barack Obama, an amber-coloured glass sculpture of a falcon worth US$10,400 from Qatar's ambassador to the US.

Not that the president fared poorly. He received a large rug with red, white and blue geometric designs worth US$6,560 from the ambassador of Azerbaijan, as well as a US$6,500 silver platter from Qatar's emir.

He also received a full felt-mounted zebra skin, a painting and sculpture worth US$4,000 from the president of Tanzania; and a US$4,000 brown upholstered chair from the prime minister of Singapore.

Under federal ethics rules, the presents must be turned over to the government unless the recipient chooses to buy the items.