The Patiala Necklace & Met Gala 2022, a story about how rich India was & how Westerners continue to appropriate Indian Heritage, a thread:
Since, #MetGala24 just happened, let me take you back to Met 2022 and how Emma Chamberlain wore a necklace that belonged to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.
Those of you who don’t know her, Emma Chamberlain is a famous American YouTuber, Content creator and was also the brand ambassador of Cartier in 2022.
What caught everyone’s eye is her outfit at 2022 Met was her necklace.

In 1911, Jacques Cartier met Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in India. In 1925, the Maharaja brought 20 trunks of precious stones to Paris, each trunk heavily guarded. He had them reset at Maison Cartier. In 1928, the luxury-loving Maharaja tasked Cartier with creating a ceremonial necklace featuring the massive De Beers diamond, which weighed 234.65 carats. The diamond, inherited from his father Rajinder Singh of Patiala, was acquired in 1889 at the Paris Universal Exhibition. It's the world's seventh-largest diamond. The Patiala Necklace, comprised five rows of platinum chains with 2,390 diamonds & Burmese rubies, was the most expensive jewel of its time. It stood as one of Cartier's largest commissions ever.

Here’s the catch, The Patiala Necklace vanished mysteriously after gracing Maharaja Yadavindra Singh in 1948. No one knows how it vanished from India and from family of Patiala. In 1982, the De Beers diamond resurfaced at a Sotheby's auction, separated from the necklace. Another part emerged in 1998 in a London antique shop. Cartier, unable to find the original jewels, recreated the necklace with replica stones, preserving its historic essence. What’s interesting is both parts of necklace was found in UK & was conveniently acquired by Cartier.

Ideally, Cartier should have returned the lost piece to the rightful owner, the royal family of Patiala or Indian govt. But they didn’t. And that’s how it ended on a YouTuber’s neck in Met Gala 2022. The least Cartier & Emma could’ve done is talk about that necklace and give it a tribute. But no, acknowledging Indian history is not for these westerners.

To be honest, no celebrity or a mere influencer deserved to wear that historical necklace. This choker embodies India's lost legacy, not a mere trinket for celebrity or influencer. Its value transcends extravagance, representing a piece of history reclaimed, its worth immeasurable, Cartier should treat it with dignity, as that necklace is not only a piece of jewellery but also history & a testament to how culturally rich & wealthy India once was. The luxury, opulence that was enjoyed by rulers of India till just last century, was beyond the imagination of Westerners and people of countries that became wealthy recently, thanks to discovery of Oil reserves 😆

Ironically, Kim Kardashian was criticised heavily for wearing Marlyn Monroe’s dress at the 2022 Met but no one criticised Emma for wearing a stolen piece of India’s heritage. Why? Because it belonged to Indians.

And, to most of the people who shit on India all the time, call it a 3rd world country & mock Indians all the time should remember this was how India’s royalty used to live just 100 years back, how India’s wealth was plundered by the British for more than 2 centuries, it’s people oppressed and by other invaded before that & how white people still continue to use Indian heritage.