Patiala Necklace
| Industry | Jewelry |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1, 1847 |
| Founder | Louis-François Cartier |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
| Products | Jewelry, watches, luxury goods |
| Website | www |
The Patiala Necklace was created and designed by Cartier in the year 1928. It formed part of the most extensive single commission Cartier had received by 1925, requested by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, for jewellery valued at .
Comprising five strands (ladi) along with a neck collar, the necklace incorporated 2,930 diamonds. Its focal point was the world's seventh-largest diamond at that period, known as the De Beers, initially weighing 428 carats before cutting and set at 234.65 carats. This stone remains the largest cushion-cut yellow diamond and ranks as the second-largest yellow faceted diamond worldwide. Additionally, the necklace featured seven other significant diamonds ranging between 18 and 73 carats, complemented by numerous Burmese rubies.
History
The necklace was commissioned in 1925 by Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, ruler of the princely state of Patiala. It vanished from Patiala's Royal Treasury around 1948 and was last documented in a photograph taken in 1946, worn by Yadavindra Singh, Bhupinder Singh’s son and then Maharaja.
The diamond resurfaced during the 1982 auction of the Patiala Royal Family collection held by Sotheby's in Geneva, where bidding reached $3.16 million; however, it remains uncertain if it achieved its reserve price.
In 1998, Eric Nussbaum, an associate of Cartier, discovered part of the necklace at a second-hand jewellery store in London. The larger gemstones—including Burmese rubies and diamonds weighing from 18 to 73 carats—were absent. Cartier acquired this incomplete piece and undertook a restoration lasting four years, substituting missing diamonds with cubic zirconia and synthetic stones, and recreating a replica of the original "De Beers" diamond.
This necklace has been highlighted in a documentary produced by Doc & Film International. A granddaughter of Bhupinder Singh, now a jeweller based in California, participated in the 2012 exhibition titled "Maharaja: The Splendor of India's Royal Courts" at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, where the restored necklace was showcased.
In 2022, Cartier lent the recreated necklace to YouTuber Emma Chamberlain, who serves as a Cartier ambassador and wore it at the Met Gala. This appearance sparked some criticism online. When Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh requested to borrow the necklace for the Met Gala in 2025, Cartier declined, explaining that it was secured within a museum.