Kim Kardashian sparked a lot of conversation at this year’s Met Gala by wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress; but there was another historically significant piece on display that day that also got a lot of attention – I refer to the choker worn by Emma Chamberlain, which once belonged to the Maharaja of Patiala. Many people took to Twitter to express their displeasure at the cultural disrespect shown by Chamberlain in choosing to wear that particular piece of jewellery. Naturally, I was curious – what is the real story here? Does that choker actually belong to India? And what was the story behind it?
I found that the choker at the centre of the Emma Chamberlain conversation was in fact just one of several pieces in a collection sanctioned by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in 1925. As the story goes, the Maharaja summoned the head salesperson of Cartier to reset some of his gems in a more modern fashion. When Monsieur Muffat of Cartier sat before the Maharaja, he was given a box full of Burmese rubies, diamonds of all manner – including the famous De Beers diamond, which was the seventh largest polished diamond in the world at the time – emeralds, and much more.
Monsieur Muffat had to work very hard to contain his awe upon beholding the spectacle before him.
The Maharaja had so much faith in Cartier that when Monsieur Muffat began to take note of all the gems he would be taking with him so as to have a written record, the Maharaja dismissed it immediately, telling him to just take it all.
It took Cartier three years to complete the work with the gems, and when it was over, the resulting jewellery was a glory to behold. The gems had been fashioned into head ornaments, anklets, armlets and more, but at the centre of it all was a piece so magnificent that Cartier requested permission from the Maharaja to put it on display for a while before sending it back to India. This piece, comprising of five rows of platinum chains embellished with 2,930 diamonds and proudly displaying the De Beers diamond in the centre, came to be known as the Patiala necklace.
The necklace was admired by all who had the chance to see it, after which it was shipped back to India and worn by two generations of Patiala royalty.
But in 1948, just one year after Indian independence, the Patiala jewels disappeared.
For over thirty years, none were able to locate these precious jewels that had held the world in thrall. And then, just as mysteriously as the jewels disappeared, the De Beers diamond resurfaced – without the rest of the necklace – at a Sotheby’s auction in 1982. Still, no other traces of the rest of the set were found.
Sixteen years after this, part of the necklace was located in an antique shop in London. By now, there was no hope of recovering the original set, so Cartier bought whatever could be found and replaced the missing jewels with replicas.
The original would have been priced at around $30 million today.
The choker worn by Emma Chamberlain was part of the restored set from Cartier. So while technically it is not Indian property, there is an undeniable Indian history attached to it. And as for the original pieces, they were most likely stolen in a successful heist, taken apart, and sold as smaller pieces. I can’t help but wonder where they are right now, scattered across the world, one of the last remnants of India’s past glory.
Works Cited
Shirley, Kristen. “The Untold Story Behind ‘La Collection Patiala’” La Patiala. January 24th, 2022. Web. < https://lapatiala.com/the-untold-story-behind-la-collection-patiala/ > as seen on June 2nd, 2022.
Editors. “YouTuber Emma Chamberlain faces criticism for wearing 'stolen' Maharaja of Patiala's diamond choker to Met Gala” The Economic Times. May 10th, 2022. Web. <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/youtuber-emma-chamberlain-faces-criticism-for-wearing-stolen-maharaja-of-patialas-diamond-choker-to-met-gala/articleshow/91462466.cms> as seen on June 2nd, 2022.
“The Story of the Missing Patiala Choker” Brut India. May 17th, 2022. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aRVXHastr4> as seen on June 2nd, 2022.
Editors. “The Story Behind Maharaja Bhupinder Singh’s Lost Patiala Necklace” The Times of India. February 2nd, 2022. Web. <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/luxury/cover-story/story-behind-maharaja-bhupinder-singhs-lost-patiala-necklace/articleshow/89268743.cms> as seen on June 2nd, 2022.
Editors. “Cartiers & Patiala Necklace: On trail of a Lost Marvel” The Tribune. February 23rd, 2020. Web. < https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/cartiers-patiala-necklace-on-trail-of-a-lost-marvel-44541 > as seen on June 2nd, 2022.