Ambani women and their larger-than-life jewels are practically a legacy. What’s surprising, though, is that even after years of making headlines, every time a lady from the affluent Ambani clan steps out, she still manages to make jaws drop. Isha Ambani, daughter of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, has emerged as a bona fide fashion force, drawing from her mother’s legacy, Nita, a philanthropist and businesswoman, is globally known for her elegance and her extraordinary jewelry.
From multi-million-dollar weddings to fashion’s biggest nights, the Ambani jewels have remained in the spotlight. The 34-year-old Managing Director of Reliance Retail is a regular at the MET Gala, but this year, it was difficult to decide what turned more heads, her couture or her choice of jewels. Isha arrived in a custom Anamika Khanna creation that aligned perfectly with this year’s theme, “Tailored for You.”
Her ensemble featured a hand-embroidered corset top, black silk trousers, and a dramatic cape adorned with gem detailing, an outfit that reportedly took over 20,000 hours to complete. She looked sharp and regal, but it was the jewelry that truly set her apart. Isha revealed that the stunning necklace she wore “belonged to her mama,” Nita Ambani, and teamed it with Tiffany rings and a few more statement pieces from Nita’s personal collection, per a video shared by Instagrammer Julia Chafe.
That necklace? A reimagined version of the legendary Cartier Nawanagar necklace, originally created in 1931 for Maharaja Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar, Gujarat), the hometown of Mukesh Ambani. One of the most iconic pieces in India’s jeweled history, the necklace was composed of exceptional white diamonds, flanked by rare square pink diamonds, and crowned with a breathtaking pendant of colored diamonds. Among them: a 26-carat blue diamond, a 12-carat white diamond, and the famed 136-carat ‘Queen of Holland’ diamond, bringing the total carat weight to a staggering 500 carats.
Jacques Cartier described it as “the finest cascade of colored diamonds in the world” and “a superb realization of a connoisseur’s dream.” Though the original necklace no longer exists, its legacy lives on through archival photographs. Seeing a near-identical piece now worn by Nita Ambani feels like a full-circle moment. It’s only fitting that this jewel from Jamnagar’s royal history rests with the woman often regarded as its uncrowned queen. As for the original, it is believed to have been dismantled, with its stones sold off over time. Whether the necklace worn by Isha Ambani is a faithful recreation or a modern interpretation remains undisclosed.
The Ocean’s 8 Connection:
The now-iconic necklace worn by Anne Hathaway in Ocean’s 8 was inspired by this very Cartier creation. In the film, it’s called the Toussaint Necklace, a nod to Jeanne Toussaint, Cartier’s former creative director. Since the original was designed for a man, the replica had to be scaled down by 15 to 20 percent to fit Hathaway’s frame.
To recreate the historic masterpiece, Cartier’s High Jewelry atelier in Paris, located at 13 Rue de la Paix, mobilized a team of 10 to 15 artisans who spent over 4,200 hours bringing the necklace to life. Instead of real diamonds, zirconium oxides were used to mimic the sparkle of the original, making the film version a dazzling tribute rather than a priceless heirloom.
It should be noted that the original Nawanagar necklace no longer exists, and the Toussaint Necklace featured in Ocean’s 8 is a high-quality replica valued at $150 million within the film’s narrative. Given the striking resemblance in allure and design, it’s safe to say that the Ambani piece is equally, if not more, valuable.
