Met Gala: Why Diljit Dosanjh couldn't wear $2.5B Patiala Necklace
What's the story
Diljit Dosanjh made a statement at his debut Met Gala on Tuesday, where he represented his Punjabi roots in a stunning Prabal Gurung ensemble.
From a turban to a kurta and tehmat, the singer's look was designed to pay homage to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.
His team had actually planned a more direct tribute by incorporating the Maharaja's personal jewelry into his look. But that could not happen.
Jewelry quest
The Patiala Necklace is now sitting in a museum
The Patiala Necklace, commissioned by the Maharaja of Patiala in 1928 from Cartier, was the French jeweler's largest piece ever made.
Weighing 1,000 carats and containing 2,900 diamonds, it was worth ₹10cr at the time of its creation ($2.5 billion or ₹21,000 crore today).
But when Dosanjh's stylist, Abhilasha Devnani, tried borrowing the iconic piece for the Met Gala, she was told it is currently housed in a museum.
Alternative tribute
Indian jeweler was then roped in to create inspired collection
Unable to get hold of the original Patiala Necklace, Devnani commissioned Indian jeweler Golecha to make jewelry inspired by the Maharaja's collection.
This included a turban brooch which matched Dosanjh's outfit perfectly.
Dosanjh, in an interview with New York Times, spoke about how he is proud to carry his identity through fashion.
"It's about carrying your identity with pride, right?" he said.
History
OG necklace disappeared from treasury years ago
Notably, the necklace that Dosanjh missed out on is not the original piece.
The actual Patiala Necklace went missing from the Patiala royal treasury in 1948, and years later, a few pieces of it emerged, which were once again acquired by Cartier to make an inspired piece.
Interestingly, Met Gala host Emma Chamberlain wore a choker from the Maharaja's lost collection at the event in 2022.
The YouTuber wore it as the brand ambassador of Cartier jewels.
Star-studded event
Dosanjh joined other Indian celebrities at Met Gala
The 2025 Met Gala, officially called the Costume Institute Benefit, was also attended by other Indian stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kiara Advani, and designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, and Prabal Gurung.
Socialites Natasha Poonawalla and Isha Ambani were also present.
The annual haute couture fundraising festival benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan.