Making up for the last two years that were devoured by the global pandemic, the MET Gala left no stone unturned to serve us a dose of glamour as well as some spicy controversies! Seems like Kim Kardashian wasn’t the only celebrity to have worn something that came with a historical significance. Stepping on the shoes of the beauty moghul was influencer Emma Chamberlain who ascended the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art stirring some controversy!
Emma, who arrived at The MET wearing Louis Vuitton, also represented Cartier as its ambassador and stepped on the red carpet of the soiree dripping in diamonds from the jewellery brand. While her pleated beige crop top and trailing skirt were stunning already, it was her encrusted piece of choker that grabbed everyone’s eyeballs at the gala. Turns out, sticking to the vintage theme, the social media sensation wore Cartier’s diamond choker that once belonged to the Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh!
Diving deep into the history of this antique piece of jewel, this ceremonial accessory came into being in 1928 when the Maharaja decided to turn the De Beers diamond, the 7th largest in the world into an heirloom choker. It was then commissioned to Cartier to curate it with 2930 diamonds and Burmese rubies sitting on it with pride, making it one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery made in history.
With this piece holding a high sentimental and historic value, netizens expressed displeasure with the fact that it was given to a celebrity to flaunt. Many went on saying that ‘this was worse than Kim wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress’ Check out the tweets below:
Thanks #cartier. Those are the jewels of the Maharaja of Patiala. That’s a piece of India’s stolen history, not a fancy piece of jewellery to lend out to celebrities. Disrespectful on so many levels. pic.twitter.com/KhK5LPexaj
— Shriya Zamindar (@shriyazamindar) May 7, 2022
so, news just broke out that emma chamberlain wore the maharaja of patiala’s cartier diamond choker to the met gala, and as someone both sikh and punjabi, it doesn’t sit right with me. it was stolen, “re-acquired” by cartier, sure. [1]
— bela lugosi (@valovife) May 7, 2022
So i just found out emma chamberlain wore the maharaja of patiala’s necklace at the met gala… this is wayyy worse than kim wearing marilyn monroe’s dress. It has a deep and painful history attached to it. Very on theme, nothing screams gilded glamour quite like expropriation pic.twitter.com/XqqHwqusdU
— (@arianaspovv) May 7, 2022
What ! This is embarrassing. This is part of Indian legacy and heritage. White colonial rulers took it and now it’s worn by #emmachamberlain who has no idea about the significance.
— Aaneka momo (@Aanekatammy) May 7, 2022
Corrected ur tweet @Cartier
Met Gala magic with Emma Chamberlain in a #CollectionCartier tiara and stolen choker from Maharaja of Patiala’s Cartier Diamond Choker (1942) with almost 700 diamonds. #EmmaChamberlain #MetGala #CartierRedCarpet https://t.co/PGije4GhZ5
— Micky (@_Born2Kill_) May 7, 2022
#EmmaChamberlain wore India's stolen treasure belonging to Maharaja of Patiala for #MetGala. It is highly irreverent & disgraceful to lend out a historical piece attached with painful colonial memory to any random global celebrity. A public apology is required. pic.twitter.com/o9uAcO8nUP
— Kanishk Gupta (He/Him) (@kanishk35865088) May 8, 2022
So, what are your thoughts on this?
(Source- Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia)
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