The timeline of disappearance and re-appearance of the famous Patiala Necklace

Imagine an expensive piece of jewellery which went missings decades ago, suddenly resurfaces to everyone's shock and disbelief. Well, this is what happened recently at the Met Gala event this year. Popular US YouTuber Emma Chamberlain was seen wearing a diamond choker similar to the one with the necklace belonging to the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala. 

Emma has recently been appointed as Cartier's newest ambassador, the jewellery giant which created one of the costliest pieces of jewellery ever made, known as the Patiala Necklace. The necklace belonged to Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh and was created by Cartier in 1928. It reportedly featured 2,930 diamonds, including the world's seventh-largest diamond, at the time. 

Read | Emma Chamberlain wears Maharaja of Patiala's necklace at Met Gala 2022, netizens say 'stolen choker'

Emma's wearing the antique piece of jewellery to the fashion event has certainly left many netizens annoyed. So, why has this necklace created such a storm on social media? To understand this, we have to revisit the past and understand the sequence of events that took place decades ago.

What is the case?

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the erstwhile ruler of the princely state of Patiala, commissioned jewellery giant Cartier to create one of the costliest pieces of jewellery ever made, known as the Patiala Necklace. The necklace featured 2,930 diamonds, including the world's seventh-largest diamond, at the time. 

The famous Patiala Necklace mysteriously disappeared after Maharaja Bhupinder Singh's son Yadavindra Singh last wore it in 1948. It reappeared a few years ago in London. Many believe that the necklace was stolen, although there is not enough evidence to substantiate this claim.

It is believed that after 1948, the entire set, including the necklace and the choker, was either stolen or went missing mysteriously from Patiala's Royal treasury. Decades later in the 1980s, Cartier traced and purchased some remains of the Patiala Necklace, but found many of its gemstones missing. The luxury brand tried to restore the grand jewel by replacing the diamonds with replicas.

The necklace was said to have disappeared from the Royal Treasury of Patiala around 1948, and parts of it, including the massive De Beers diamond, were later purchased by Cartier. It had taken three years for Cartier to complete the original jewellery.

The original Patiala Necklace, with all its diamonds, would in present time have been valued at anything between USD 30-50 million. However, the sudden missing of this necklace continues to remain a matter of mystery for not just historians but also to the Patiala royal household.

Interestingly, Emma Chamberlain also credited to Cartier for her jewellery on her official Instagram page, facing massive backlash from Indians for wearing the choker. "This is wayyy worse than kim wearing Marilyn Monroe's dress. It has a deep and painful history attached to it. Very on theme, nothing screams gilded glamour quite like expropriation," wrote one Twitter user.