Did Nita Ambani wear the legendary Maharani of Indore necklace?

Nita Ambani makes sure to turn heads every time she makes a public appearance, be it Manish Malhotra's Diwali bash or at Britain's Pink Ball event. Draped in a pure zari Kanjivaram saree by Swadesh, and styled by none other than Manish Malhotra, her look was completed with an emerald set, which resembled that of the legendary Maharani of Indore. Was it that same piece, netizens wonder.

Nita Ambani's regal look at Britain's Pink Ball event

The ensemble featured a bespoke off-shoulder corset blouse, detailed with real zari antique embroidery, and a woven saree finished with a metallic sequin border and cut-work pallu. She paired her saree with an emerald and diamond sautoir, a very long necklace that typically has a pendant or tassel on the end. Her sautoir is a homage to one of India’s most storied jewels: the legendary necklace of the Maharani of Indore.

In the 1930s, the Maharani of Indore owned one of India’s most iconic jewels - an emerald and diamond sautoir created by the French maison Chaumet. It featured massive pear-shaped diamonds and a large Colombian emerald, designed in the bold Art Deco style that defined royal glamour in that era.

Almost a century later, Nita Ambani reimagined this legendary design as a tribute to India’s royal heritage, and used her own personal collection of diamonds and emeralds, directing every detail of the recreation herself to Kantilal Chhotalal who designed the piece. Her gorgeous pieces, whose design resembles the original has two 40-carat pear-shaped diamonds, one 40-carat round diamond, with Nizami provenance, and a 70-carat Colombian emerald at the centre.

Even though it’s not the original Chaumet piece, the design and symbolism remain the same, becoming a bridge between royal India’s past and today’s modern luxury. Considering the size, rarity, and quality of these gemstones, experts estimate the necklace’s current value to be well over INR 150 crore, possibly even higher.

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