Diljit Dosanjh’s debut at the Met Gala 2025 was one of the most talked-about moments from the event. His take on the theme, wearing a regal traditional outfit, was said to be inspired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, ruler of the princely state of Patiala (1900-1938). A tribute to Punjabi culture, it was a desi take on the event’s theme. Dosanjh’s outfit featured a cape embroidered with Gurmukhi alphabets, the map of Punjab, a lion-headed kirpan in one hand, and an extravagant jewel-studded turban on his head.
One of the elements that caught the most attention from his entire look was the neckpiece inspired by the iconic Patiala Necklace. However, news soon emerged that Diljit’s team had attempted to get the partially reconstructed necklace from Cartier, who created the original almost a century ago, but were denied.
Emotions ran high, however, after netizens discovered that Cartier had allowed an American influencer to wear the same piece on the Met Gala red carpet a few years ago.
What Happened With Diljit Dosanjh And Cartier?
According to reports, Diljit Dosanjh’s stylist, Abhilasha Devnani, had reached out to Cartier, inquiring if they could borrow the Patiala Necklace. However, as per The New York Times, Cartier denied the request, stating that the neckpiece “sits sealed in a museum” and is thus unavailable for loan. Devnani then had Indian jeweller Golecha create a new piece inspired by the original.
While some netizens took offence to this, emotions intensified once posts began to circulate showing how, in 2022, American influencer Emma Chamberlain had worn what is believed to be part of the same necklace for that year’s Met Gala. Chamberlain was at the time the brand ambassador for Cartier. This raised several questions, with people claiming that Cartier was being hypocritical by allowing a white woman to wear the piece but denying a brown Punjabi man who was trying to pay tribute to his ancestors, heritage, and culture.
A user on X/Twitter wrote, “So Diljit Dosanjh had to wear jewels inspired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala’s Cartier collection, as he wasn’t allowed to wear the original necklace. But Emma Chamberlain wore the original Cartier Patiala Choker in 2022 #MetGala. Talk about cultural appropriation!”
Another user wrote, “Diljit Dosanjh was denied permission by Cartier to borrow the Maharaja of Patiala’s choker. But they happily gave it to a white YouTuber a few years ago.”
One commented on Instagram that “They don’t want to acknowledge the colonial past of this art piece and Cartier. Meanwhile, a white YouTuber gets to wear the original, while Diljit, whose roots actually belong to this necklace, has to settle for an homage. Shame on Cartier.”
Read More: Watch: 5 Priceless Artefacts The British Stole From India, Other Than Kohinoor
Why Does Cartier Have It At All?
To understand why Cartier has fragments of the neckpiece, one must understand the history of the jewellery. In 1925, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala commissioned Cartier, a French jewellery house.
The 2019 book “The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewellery Empire” has a chapter called ‘Jewellery Spotlight: The Patiala Necklace’ that explains its story. Written by Francesca Cartier Brickell, granddaughter of Jean-Jacques Cartier, the story goes that the Maharaja called the head salesman from Cartier Paris to the Hotel Claridge in Paris to modernise his heirloom collection.
Considered to be one of the world’s richest men at the time, he brought forth various gemstones of all colours and shapes, including a diamond “as large as a thumbnail.”
It then took almost three years for a team at Cartier to fashion it all into an iconic jewellery set, with Brickell mentioning that “more than 200 pearls were drilled to make a single bracelet.”
The highlight of the set was the Patiala Necklace, which took the spotlight. Made from 2,930 diamonds totalling over 1,000 carats, surrounded by rubies, the crown jewel being the 234.6-carat yellow De Beers diamond, all set in platinum. This yellow diamond was, at the time, the seventh-largest diamond in the world.
It’s said that because the Maharaja provided the gems himself, Cartier could not earn much in terms of sale price; however, it did help establish the brand as a luxury company. However, the neckpiece, both the choker and necklace, disappeared in 1948 from the Patiala treasury. It is still unconfirmed if it was stolen or just vanished, but to date, it has not been found in its entirety.
Around the 1980s, fragments of the neckpiece started to reappear. The book claims that “the De Beers diamond mysteriously reappeared, without the necklace, at a 1982 Sotheby’s auction (valued at £3 million). Sixteen years after that, a part of the necklace appeared in a small antiques shop in London with all the big diamonds missing.” Cartier then brought these parts, replaced the stones, and now keeps them in its archives, occasionally lending them for exhibitions around the world.
The book writes, “It was bought by Cartier, who replaced the missing stones with replicas. It is said that if the necklace were in its original form today, it would be valued at £30–50 million.”
Captain Amarinder Singh, grandson of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, speaking with The Indian Express, claimed a different story, saying that the necklace was never stolen. He said, “I was not even born when my grandfather died in 1938. According to family elders, the necklace was never stolen. My father wore it during Dussehra Darbar. My grandfather had 54 children – perhaps it was dismantled and distributed among them as dowries or gifts, and later sold. I never saw it myself. But it wasn’t stolen. Cartier later tried to reassemble it.”
Malwinder Singh, Amarinder’s younger brother, stated, “Around 20 years ago, I met Cartier representatives in Delhi who told me they had recovered parts of it. My father must have known what happened, whether it was sold or gifted. But we never asked. I don’t believe it was split among 54 children – there were many other assets. Such jewels were only worn at Darbars. When the princely state ceased to exist, there was no occasion for it. The necklace’s fate remains a mystery.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, India Today, The Indian Express
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This post is tagged under: Diljit Dosanjh, Diljit Dosanjh met gala, Diljit Dosanjh necklace, Diljit Dosanjh met gala outfit, Diljit Dosanjh cartier, cartier, emma chamberlain, emma chamberlain diljit dosanjh, Met gala, Met Gala 2025, Met Gala 2025 look, indian history, indian jewels, indian treasures, Mughal & Maharaja Jewels, Maharaja Jewels, stolen jewellery, stolen treasures
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