The journey of Patiala necklace: From wowing the West to being fashioned at the Met Gala

With Diljit Dosanjh’s Maharaja avatar at the Met Gala 2025 captivating everyone, the dashing singer-actor made waves in a regal Prabal Gurung design, proudly celebrating his Sikh heritage. Paying homage to Patiala's Maharaja Bhupinder Singh , Diljit donned an elegant ivory sherwani paired with a matching cape and turban.

However, what truly stole the spotlight was his decision to wear a replica of the legendary Patiala Necklace , a tribute to the original crafted by Cartier in 1928 for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. Known for its opulent history, the original necklace features a stunning collection of diamonds, including the world’s seventh-largest diamond, weighing in at an astounding 1,000 carats. From owning the world’s seventh-largest diamond to weighing 1000 carats of diamonds, let’s know more about this iconic piece of jewellery.


The tale of fashion and legacy

In 1928, the luxury jewellery brand Cartier received an order from Maharaja Bhupinder Singh to create an alluring necklace. He provided the brand with 4000 precious stones, which also consisted of the world’s seventh-largest diamond. However, the largest diamonds became a part of the necklace, and the smaller ones were treated as payment for their hard work. The necklace was made with five chains and a sleek neck collar. The seventh largest diamond, named De Beers, was featured at its center and was 428 carats pre-cut weight, being the largest cushion-cut yellow diamond in the world.

It also featured 2,930 diamonds weighing approximately 1,000 carats each and included 116 Burmese rubies, weighing over 170 carats each. The statement piece also consisted of seven other large diamonds ranging from 18 to 73 carats, excluding emeralds and pearls. The necklace was the largest and the most expensive single order created by the brand and took almost three years to complete.

Its mysterious disappearance

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh wished to gift the necklace to his favourite wife, Maharani Sri Bakhtawar Kaur. However, after his death, it was passed to his son Yadavindra Singh and remained with the family for three decades. But, post-Independence, it mysteriously disappeared from the family’s treasury.

Years after its disappearance, the Patiala necklace resurfaced in 1982 in Geneva, where the seventh-largest diamond, De Beers, was sold for 3 million USD. Other parts of the necklace were discovered in antique shops in London in 1998, but did not have any significant stones. Cartier soon acquired the necklace and recreated the masterpiece with replicas of the gemstones used.

Now, sitting in the archives of Cartier, it is currently priced at 30 million USD and made headlines at the Met Gala 2022, when fashion influencer Emma Chamberlain wore the choker part of the necklace. The choker attracted heavy publicity and scrutiny, too, raising questions about the painful history of the stolen heritage of India by the West.


Once the necklace left the royal treasury, the authenticity and provenance of the Patiala Necklace remained unclear. However, Diljit Dosanjh’s team revealed that they wanted to pay a closer homage to Maharaja at the Met Gala 2025 by wearing his personal jewellery but were denied permission to rent from Cartier, leading to backlash against the luxury brand.


Eventually, Diljit’s stylist Abhilasha Devnani commissioned the Indian jeweller Golecha to create this stunning necklace inspired by the Maharaja’s collection, which also included the turban brooch worn by the Punjabi singer.