A debate started on various social media platforms after US Youtube star Emma Chamberlain made her debut at the Met Gala 2022 wearing an Indian King’s diamond necklace.
Chamberlain wore a diamond neckpiece last week that once belonged to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, a part of Punjab in North India, reports said.
She attributed the piece of antique jewellery along with her diamond tiara and earrings to Cartier.
But, several netizens have pointed out that the display of a precious family heirloom at the Met Gala is distasteful as most do not know about its origin, and the heritage jewellery has unfortunately changed hands and landed with Cartier.
According to reports, many said that the necklace is one of its kind and need to treasure it.
The story of the necklace also highlights the colonial past of India, where several such precious heritage jewellery of various royal families were transferred to the British due to unavoidable circumstances and were never returned to the original owner including the Kohinoor.
Reports said that many people also demanded a need for awareness of Indian culture and heritage amid the controversy.
Though her choice of jewellery at the Met Gala attracted controversy, Chamberlain has not reacted yet.
According to reports, the Maharaja Of Patiala owned DeBeers diamonds and had commissioned Cartier to make a ceremonial necklace with the De Beers diamond as its centrepiece. The necklace was made in 1928 and was known as the Patiala Necklace.
It has five rows of platinum chains embellished with 2930 diamonds and some Burmese rubies. The slightly yellow De Beers diamond is placed at the centre.
This was the most expensive piece of jewellery ever made in history and it would have cost some $30 million dollars today in its original form.
The Maharaja reportedly had bought the largest diamond in 1889 after it was mined from South Africa in 1888. The Maharaja had spotted it while it was on display at the Paris Universal exhibition.
In 1948, the famed necklace went missing from the Patiala royal treasury. It reappeared during a Sotheby’s auction in 1982 but not in its entirety. Instead only the De Beers diamond was up for auction.
Cartier bought the diamond at the auction. Then a part of a necklace was found in an antique shop in London. Cartier later bought the necklace and replaced the missing stones with replicas, reports added.
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