Before you say no one does diamonds like Nita Ambani, wife of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, think again. The only person who can outdo the curator of carats is her daughter, Isha. The Indian billionaire took the Met Gala by storm, (read: solitaires), dazzling head to toe in not 100, 500, or even 1,000, but more than 1,800 carats of diamonds and gems at the 2026 Met Gala. It is safe to say the 34-year-old Executive Director of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited embodied the ‘Fashion is Art’ theme, a picture of wealth, heritage, and Indian artistry in a custom-made Gaurav Gupta sari, teamed with a realistic mango sculpture.
The baubles the Ambani clan so often turns to in order to make jaws drop around the world were not restricted to Isha’s necklace or earrings. In fact, she was a literal piece of art, one where paint was replaced with diamonds and the result was purely ethereal. Her jewelry-integrated blouse was set with heirloom stones from fashionista Nita Ambani’s private collection, including more than 200 hand-sewn old mine-cut diamonds, while the full look crossed 1,800 carats. At the back of Ambani’s saree is a traditional turban ornament once owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. With diamonds, emeralds, and uncut stones embedded into the garment, Isha Ambani became arguably the most bejeweled attendee ever to walk the Met Gala carpet.
The gold tissue sari was hand-painted with Ajanta frescoes, while a sculptural resin-draped cape formed a halo around her body. Her ensemble took more than 1,200 hours and the painstaking work of 50 artisans. The jewelry included a stunning Lorraine Schwartz diamond choker centered on a 50-carat emerald, adding yet another layer of grandeur to a look that was already overflowing with it.
As for the Met Gala mango that stood out as a simple object amid all this extravagance, it was in fact perfectly on theme. The glittering mesh handbag carried a mango sculpture by contemporary Indian artist Subodh Gupta, making it not just a whimsical accessory but a clever nod to the Met’s art theme. Created two decades ago, the artwork slipped seamlessly into a look that blurred the line between fashion, adornment, and installation.
“It’s a hand-woven sari, and the blouse is full of my mother’s jewelry,” Isha said of her look, which was styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, during Vogue’s livestream, adding that the accessories incorporated into the look were all “different sentimental pieces.” Those pieces, she said, included a “gift that I got when my kids were born,” along with other keepsakes close to her heart. Looking at those 1,800 carats of diamonds and gems, the Ambani clan is not just insanely rich, but sentimental too.
