India’s lost legacy at the MET GALA: When the Patiala necklace again dipped on Emma Chamberlain’s neck

(Lr) Emma Chamberlain, Patiala Halenkette and Maharaya Yadavindra Singh.

As the Map Academy states, “the disappearance of the necklace around 1948 and the subsequent recurrence of its parts were subjects of speculation and intrigue. The necklace in its current form is Cartier’s reconstruction above the original basis, whereby the missing elements are carefully replaced.”

The Map Academy adds: “The combination of South Asian influences with European designs included five platinum chains in addition to a neck collar or neck collar. These were completely with small diamonds, with seven larger diamonds – each between 18 and 73 carat, as well as some emeraldies and Burmese, which held the central counterparts.

The last piece drove almost 1,000 carat and lasted three years. It remained part of the Patiala treasury until his disappearance in 1948.

It is generally assumed that the necklace was dismantled and smuggled from India. The diamond of de Beers briefly appeared at Sotheby’s auction in 1982, but her current location is unknown. In 1998, the slap-plated platinum skeleton of the necklace was discovered by a jewelry expert in a London Pfandhaus. The larger stones were gone. Cartier regulated it and restored it – and replaced the missing gemstones with synthetic diamonds and zirconia.