4 months, 2500 gems: What it took Jaipur-jeweller to craft Diljit Dosanjh’s Met Gala necklace

New Delhi: It took Jaipur-based Golecha Jewels nearly four months and more than 2,500 pieces of diamonds and emeralds to craft Diljit Dosanjh’s multi-layered necklace with a stunning emerald centrepiece for his Met Gala appearance.

Dosanjh on Tuesday made his debut at the Met Gala 2025 with a regal white ensemble complete with a kirpan, turban and a layered necklace in a hat tip to the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala who was known for his opulent lifestyle.

“You take inspiration from nature, things and people. This represents royalty and history, we made it according to that. He was the first Indian king in history to commission jewellery from a foreigner,” Manav Golecha, owner of Golecha Jewels, told PTI.

The necklace, based on the archival pictures of the maharaja, was also inspired by “the calm, composed and down to earth nature” of Dosanjh.

“In addition to that it was inspired by Diljit’s personality. He is a calm and soulful person, very down to earth. And just like him, this is a very authentic and honest design. It is defining his character,” he added.

In 1928, the maharaja commissioned Cartier, the luxury jewellery brand favoured by the wealthy, royals, and celebrities, to make him a diamond necklace of 1,000 carats, which was "the largest necklace" the French jeweller had ever made.

The necklace went missing from India in 1948.

Golecha said it took their artisans nearly four months to create the over-250 carat necklace, which is studded with more than 2,500 pieces of gems.

“The diamonds are inspired by the famous Golconda diamonds. The centrepiece emerald is around 80 carats, while the choker centrepiece is seven carats,” he said.

It is not their first brush with celebrities, as the jeweller has been behind the wedding jewellery of stars like Aishwarya Rai, Dia Mirza, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sonam Kapoor, and Preity Zinta to name a few.

“We were the first jewellers to make real jewellery for an Indian film,” Golecha said.

The jewellers had crafted designs for JP Dutta’s 2006 “Umrao Jaan” starring Aishwarya Rai.

The jewellers have also designed the crowns for international beauty pageants like Miss Asia Pacific, Miss Global, and Miss Universe.

“In fact we designed the crown worn by Sushmita Sen in 1994 when she became the Miss Universe,” Golecha claimed.

“We take pride in making things that are timeless, not something that you get bored with within a few months. We make jewellery that you pass on from generation to generation,” he added. PTI MAH BK MAH MAH