In a moment that lit up both the red carpet and the internet, American YouTuber Emma Chamberlain arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a diamond choker resembling one that belonged to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. Chamberlain had credited Cartier for the piece on Instagram, prompting a backlash from Indians accusing the brand of showcasing a “stolen piece of heritage.”
For decades, the fate of the necklace was a subject of myth and speculation. The De Beers diamond resurfaced briefly at a Sotheby’s auction in 1982, but then disappeared again. In 1988, the skeleton of the necklace—stripped of its major atones—was discovered in a London pawn shop. Cartier later reacquired the remnants and reconstructed the necklace, replacing the missing stones with synthetic diamonds and zircon.
