This Indian jewellery house designed Cardi B’s 141-carat emerald necklace for the Met Gala: ‘We needed a lot of convincing from her team’

Cardi B stayed true to her “bigger is better” philosophy at the 2024 Met Gala, dazzling in a voluminous tulle gown and a show-stopping set of emerald and diamond jewellery by Indian brand Kamyen. The statement necklace, featuring a whopping 141-carat Colombian emerald, perfectly complemented the Garden of Time dress code and Cardi’s signature love for extravagance.

“We needed a lot of convincing from Colin (Cardi B’s stylist), but because it was the Met Gala and Cardi, we decided to do it,” Pooja Gandhi, one of the co-founders of Kamyen Jewellery, a family-run business, tells indianexpress.com.

Cardi’s one-of-a-kind necklace at the Met Gala features a vivid 141-carat Gubelin-certified Colombian emerald, intricately encapsulated amongst 127 carats of fancy-shaped diamonds, prominently featuring the Lotus-cut motif.

Pooja explained the reason lotus-cut motifs were used throughout the piece was their connection to India: “We’ve always kept India in mind. And the lotus has long been a symbol of our heritage so we decided to intersperse the pieces with that motif.”

A close up of Cardi B’s necklace from the Met Gala (Credit: Pooja Gandhi)

Complementing this centrepiece was a stunning pair of traditional ‘chandbali’ earrings, boasting yellow and white mini-briolette cut diamonds along with Colombian emeralds as the centre stones again.

Amping up the emerald and diamond drama, Cardi adorned her hands with statement rings and a bangle bracelet on her wrist from Kamyen.

Pooja revealed that it was a surprise to her that Cardi wore all the accessories together, “We had 2-3 options ready because Cardi’s dress hadn’t been decided till a week ahead of the Met. The necklace Cardi wore was originally a standalone, while the earrings were meant to be worn separately because of their size, the rings and bracelet were a part of different set too. It was a pleasant surprise to us that Cardi decided to wear them all together as she loved the design so much.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib) 

The bracelet featured mix cuts of kites and lotus-shaped diamonds paired carefully with Colombian cushion cabochons, Pooja explained. She shared that the bracelet didn’t actually fit Cardi, “When she decided to wear it, Colin, being the expert he is, weaved his magic and literally stitched the bracelet with a thread and needle to fit her.”

Cardi also wore a collection of rings as well that paired beautifully with the suite, showcasing an avant-garde ‘toi et moi’ ring with a 5-carat colombian marquise and a 8-carat elongated unique pear shape, a signature Kamyen style.

Founded in 2010, Kamyen is a family-run Indian brand with a reputation for exclusive, one-of-a-kind jewellery designs, known for their untypical cuts. Cardi B’s Met Gala appearance has catapulted the brand into the global spotlight.

Cardi’s necklace in the design process (Credit: Pooja Gandhi)

Though Pooja tells indianexpress.com, that was not their plan, “We’re a very private jewellery house. All our designs are a one-off. We promise that exclusivity to our buyers. Say, if you go to an event, wearing our designs, people should ask you where you got this design from? This is why our Instagram account is also private.”

Cardi’s emerald necklace reminded many of Nita Ambani’s humongous emerald jewels at the Jamnagar pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. But Pooja shared that the necklace had actually been finished in December, “We had been working on it for a long time and finished it in December of 2023. When Cardi and C0lin Carter (Cardi’s stylist) came along, we decided to share the piece with them for the Met Gala.”

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.