Diljit Dosanjh's regal ‘Punjabi' look at Met Gala 2025: The intriguing history behind the original ‘Patiala Necklace'

Indian Express

06-05-2025

Flaunting his Punjabi roots with pride, actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh made his Met Gala debut in New York on Tuesday, wearing regal traditional attire and a multi-layered, jewel-studded necklace with a stunning emerald centrepiece—a look inspired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the erstwhile ruler of the princely state of Patiala.
Dosanjh's Met Gala appearance oozed Punjabiyat from head to toe: a jewel-studded turban with a feather, a lion-headed kirpan in hand, an outfit embroidered with Gurmukhi alphabets and the map of Punjab, and a neckpiece inspired by the iconic 'Patiala Necklace' — created by France-based jewellery house Cartier nearly a century ago. Diljit also wore a Cartier watch to complete the look.
The annual Met Gala is regarded as the grandest gathering of fashion icons from around the world. While Dosanjh's outfit was designed by Prabal Gurung, the jewels were customised by Jaipur-based Golecha Jewels.
Explaining the intricacies behind the three-piece jewel ensemble, Manav Golecha, owner of Golecha Jewels, told The Indian Express: 'It took us nearly three months to create this multi-layered necklace, inspired by the original Patiala Necklace, which was a Cartier creation for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. The current neckpiece has over 50 carats of tourmalines. The emerald centrepiece alone weighs close to 130 carats. The other two elements include a choker crafted with spinels to give it a vintage charm and a Colombian emerald necklace layered with the Patiala piece.'
Golecha, however, clarified: 'The necklace and turban jewels we created for Diljit are not directly connected to the original Patiala Necklace, except that they draw inspiration from it. None of the original jewels or stones worn by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh have been used. However, Diljit has worn an original Cartier watch to complete the look.'
On Instagram, Diljit wrote: 'Main HOON Punjab. Inspired by the theme of Black Dandyism, I bring my turban, my culture & my mother tongue 'Punjabi' to the MET GALA.'
'Patiala Necklace' at Met Gala: Not a first
This is not the first time the 'Patiala Necklace' has captured attention at the Met Gala.
In 2022, American YouTuber Emma Chamberlain wore a choker resembling one from the original Patiala Necklace, sparking widespread criticism online.
In archival photographs, the necklace is most often seen adorning Maharaja Bhupinder Singh's son and successor, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh—the last ruler of Patiala from 1938 until the state's merger with the Indian Union in 1948—alongside a diamond-studded choker.
Diljit Dosanjh was seen wearing a Prabal Gurung creation at the Met Gala. (Photo: Diljitisvibe/Instagram)
Chamberlain had credited Cartier for her jewellery on Instagram, prompting a backlash from Indians accusing the brand of showcasing a 'stolen piece of heritage.'
Following the controversy, historians shared old photographs of the necklace, questioning whether it was indeed the same piece once owned by the Patiala royals—and how such a treasured artefact ended up in the West.
The mysterious history of the 'Patiala Necklace'
The whereabouts of the original 'Patiala Necklace', once owned by the Patiala royal family, remain unknown.
Its disappearance continues to puzzle not only historians but also members of the royal household.
It is believed that after 1948, the entire set—including the necklace and choker—was either stolen or mysteriously went missing from the Patiala treasury.
Decades later, in the 1980s, Cartier recovered some remnants of the necklace, including the massive De Beers diamond — though many gemstones were missing.
The brand attempted to restore it using replicas of the lost diamonds. The original's grandeur was unmatched. Cartier took three years to complete it. If intact today, it would be valued at an estimated $30–50 million (approximately Rs 3-5 crore).
'A diamond the size of a golf ball… worthy of a king': How Cartier made the original
The 2019 book The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire by Francesca Cartier Brickell, granddaughter of Jean-Jacques Cartier, has a chapter titled 'Jewelry Spotlight: The Patiala Necklace'.
She writes that in the summer of 1925, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, one of the world's richest men at the time, summoned Cartier's head Paris salesman to Hotel Claridge in Paris with a special request: to modernise his heirloom collection.
Diljit Dosanjh attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibition on Monday. (AP Photo)
The Maharaja presented an extraordinary trove of gemstones—Burmese rubies, white, brown, and yellow diamonds (some with green and pink tints), vivid green emeralds, and a diamond 'as large as a thumbnail'.
Cartier's team spent three years transforming the gems into a historic jewellery set.
'More than 200 pearls were drilled to make a single bracelet,' Brickell writes. But the pièce de résistance was the necklace: 2,930 diamonds weighing over 1,000 carats, set in platinum, enhanced by rubies, and centred around a 234.6-carat yellow De Beers diamond—the seventh-largest diamond in the world.'
While not a lucrative commission — since the Maharaja supplied his own gems — the necklace dramatically elevated Cartier's image in the West, where Indian royalty epitomised opulence.
Still a mystery for the Patiala royals
Captain Amarinder Singh, the Patiala royal scion, former Punjab chief minister, and son of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, told this correspondent that while he remembered his father wearing the necklace, he had never seen it in person.
'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,' he said.
However, Amarinder's younger brother, Malwinder Singh, offered a different account.
'We were very young, but I last saw my father wearing it on April 13, 1948, during the Baisakhi Darbar at Moti Bagh Palace. I was four and Amarinder was six. After that, it was never seen again. I wouldn't say it was stolen or lost—but it vanished. I even asked my mother, but she didn't know anything about it,' he said.
'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,' he added.