Netizens are still reeling from the hangover of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s extravagant wedding that took place in Mumbai on July 12. The star-studded affair not only saw Indian celebrities making a splash on the red carpet; it also included global personalities like Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and John Cena, who all made it to the wedding. As jewels and other luxury accessories were spotted in abundance, the Ambani wedding felt nothing short of a grand fashion week in progress. Beyond all the glamorous outfits, however, it was the parade of exquisite emerald jewellery that glittered through all the festivities. Worn by several high-net worth guests from Kim Kardashian to Nita Ambani, here’s a look at the most spectacular emerald jewellery spotted at the Ambani wedding.
Indian weddings are incomplete without dazzling jewellery pieces, and while bride Radhika Merchant glowed in some of the most spectacular necklaces and other accessories, the wedding guests were not too far behind. With emeralds being the most favoured choice of gemstones that shimmered at the wedding, it’s worth understanding what the gorgeous green gem signifies. So, before digging into the best emerald pieces spotted at the wedding, here’s a look at why they are a popular choice for jewellery today.
The history of emeralds goes back to ancient Egypt, with the oldest emeralds estimated to be 2.97 billion years old. Historically, the gemstones gained popularity as they were regarded to be a favourite of Cleopatra. In ancient Egypt, Pharaohs were also buried with emeralds to signify eternal life. However, over the years, the meaning of emeralds has changed, and they are now symbolic of prosperity, royalty, and eloquence. In the Indian context, emeralds have long been a part of the country’s rich cultural heritage and are a favoured choice of jewels to convey celebratory moods and denote new beginnings.
It is impossible to talk about emerald jewellery without mentioning Elizabeth Taylor’s famous Bvlgari diamond and emerald necklace. In April 1967, Taylor appeared at a public event in London wearing the show-stopping piece featuring sixteen rectangular-cut and square-cut emeralds, each set within a circle of diamonds.
In more recent times, the image of Angelina Jolie’s stunning 115-carat emerald earrings from the 2009 Academy Awards has also attained iconic status. The famous earrings were crafted by Lorraine Schwartz who more recently designed the eye-catching emerald headpiece that Kim Kardashian wore at the Ambani wedding.
With the elaborate wedding of Indian billionaire heir, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant setting new records within the most expensive weddings in the world, let’s take a look at the most incredible emerald jewellery pieces worn by the family members as well as celebrity guests for the festivities.
After flaunting her gleaming green gemstones during the pre-wedding festivities, Nita Ambani once again dazzled with her emerald jewellery during the wedding festivities. For the Shubh Ashirwad ceremony, showcasing an exquisite set from her personal collection designed by Viren Bhagat, the mother of the groom wore a stunning necklace with matching bangles, earrings, a ring and a gorgeous bajubandh (an armlet), all set with glittering emeralds. While her ethnic outfit harmoniously blended hues of pink and red along with gold embroidery work, the emerald greens added a touch of standout opulence.
For the Garba ceremony of the wedding, Nita Ambani opted for a luxurious three-layered diamond and emerald neckpiece that matched her oversized emerald earrings and diamond bangles. This stunning emerald jewellery set was paired with her custom-made Manish Malhotra ivory lehenga consisting of multi-hued traditional zardozi embroidery.
For all soon-to-be brides prepping their mood boards, take notes from Radhika Merchant on how to style emeralds for different occasions. At the garba night celebration, Merchant wore an intricately designed custom polki jadau emerald choker necklace by Jaipur Jewels. The layered piece is composed of a choker as well as a rounder necklace with five leaf-shaped pendants adorned with stunning Zambian emerald drops.
For her wedding day look, the new Ambani bride brought a meaningful touch to the “something borrowed” concept by wearing an heirloom choker piece. To further elevate the look, she complimented her mother’s antique choker piece with a masterfully crafted necklace encrusted with emeralds and diamonds custom-made by Nisha M. The necklace featured five long strands of diamonds with a large pendant of emeralds and diamonsd suspended from it.
Another impeccable emerald necklace added by Merchant to her bridal look was a pearl and emerald chandelier earring and necklace set.
Combining his love for animals and presumably the family’s adoration towards emeralds, the groom Anant Ambani gave some serious competition to his mother Nita Ambani’s gemstone parade by sporting the most spectacular panther brooch. Designed by Mumbai-based jewellery designers Heeramaneck & Son, the brooch featured a Cartier Panther crouched upon an exquisite 720-carat Zambian emerald. The regal accessory instantly went viral for its unique design, with many netizens naming it their favourite piece of emerald jewellery at the Ambani wedding.
Kim Kardashian made sure to fully embrace the Ambani wedding aesthetic by wearing the signature jewels — the emeralds that took centre stage for all the ceremonies. The Kardashians star opted for an eye-catching headpiece made with 400 carats of Colombian emeralds, along with 100-carat pear-shaped drop earrings and a handpiece adorned with over 60 carats of emeralds. The brilliant piece perfectly reflected the expert craftsmanship of Lorraine Schwartz. Kardashian’s glittering green gemstones contrasted prominently against her vibrant red outfit, which was a modern interpretation of a lehenga consisting of a veil, cropped top, and a skirt.
Unlike hosts Nita Ambani and Anant Ambani or even Kim Kardashian who flaunted chunky emeralds, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas gave lessons in subtlety by sporting accessories that featured hints of the gemstones. Chopra wore an alluring Bvlgari diamond necklace featuring small sapphires, emeralds, and a ruby pendant at its centre. Jonas also added an emerald touch to his look with a dragonfly brooch set with an emerald stone.
The Ambani wedding certainly served lessons on not only wearing emeralds, but also on choosing different variations of the gemstone. While shiny Zambian emeralds remained a popular choice for the bride and groom, Indian filmmaker Karan Johar maintained his serene green vibe by making an impressive choice, completing his outfit with a necklace encrusted with Russian emeralds. Designed by Manish Malhotra, the majestic piece featured pear-shaped as well as hexagon-cut emeralds along with white diamonds.
Among all the jewellery pieces worn by Isha Ambani (the groom’s sister) at the wedding, one necklace that screamed opulence and wealth was this multicoloured gemstone piece. Designed by Viren Bhagat, the necklace featured seven types of gemstones including emeralds, blue sapphire, jade, diamonds, fire opal, coral, and pearls. The flawless piece stole the show and even drew comparisons to Thanos’ infinity stones from the Marvel universe. Isha also added a touch of modernity to her look by following the mismatched earrings trend, pairing an emerald earring with a diamond earring.
Every member of the Ambani family got the memo on adding emerald jewellery to their looks; of course, groom Anant Ambani’s sister-in-law Shloka Ambani also followed suit. For one of the pre-wedding rituals, Shloka wore a stunning emerald set designed by Viren Bhagat. The piece featured an eclectic combination of bold emeralds and natural diamonds with a pearl choker set. The classic combination of pearls and emeralds perfectly complemented her pink-hued outfit.
(Main and featured images: Kim Kardashian/Instagram; Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla/Instagram)
One of the most stunning emerald jewellery pieces from Nita Ambani's collection is valued at INR 400-500 crore (approx. USD 48-60 million). However, its weight in carats is unknown.
Emerald stones are associated with prosperity, eternal youth, and new beginnings in the Indian culture. Since weddings are a celebratory event, the Ambani family wear emeralds during the festive times.
Senior Digital Writer, People, Entertainment and Fashion
Surabhi Redkar is a pop culture enthusiast with a keen interest in celebrity fashion and beauty trends. A post graduate in multimedia journalism from Birmingham City University, she has worked with several ..Read More
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