Nita Ambani’s striking Ganpati celebration look was centred on a humongous maharani haar. But wait a minute, it’s not the first time a celebrity has been seen wearing it.
The first thing you probably noticed about Nita Ambani’s Ganpati celebration look wasn’t the vibrant silk saree. It was the necklace.
At the Ambani family’s annual Ganpati celebrations at Antilia in Mumbai, Nita Ambani wore a bright orange-and-magenta silk saree, but it was the enormous, shoulder-to-shoulder bib-necklace sitting across her neckline that had everyone do a double take. The piece was so expansive that it almost blurred the line between necklace and jewellery tableau.
Called Amrapali Bharatam, the one-of-a-kind piece is an assemblage of vintage ornaments from different parts of India, brought together into a single jewel.
Look closely and there is plenty to discover. A traditional Kerala necklace forms part of its upper structure, while old South Indian naths, jhoomars, earrings, billas and chandbalis have been repurposed within the composition. Pearls, coloured gemstones and diamonds add layers of colour and texture, while the different forms and motifs retain traces of the jewellery traditions they originally belonged to.
It is, quite literally, a collection of many pieces made to look like one.
Tarang Arora, CEO and Creative Director of Amrapali Jewels, explains that this kind of piece cannot simply be designed on paper and then made. The elements have to be physically brought together, balanced and adjusted so that everything falls correctly. Even the pearl strings at the back were added as part of that process.
And the work behind it is considerable. According to the brand, the antique and vintage components were collected over three years, before 14 master karigars worked on the final composition. The making itself took months, involving extensive research, trial and error, and painstaking work to make disparate pieces sit together as one.
That explains why the necklace doesn’t look conventionally symmetrical. Instead, it has an almost museum-display quality to it, with different elements competing for your attention. One moment you notice a pendant, then a string of pearls, then an old earring or a traditional form tucked into the larger structure.
But here’s the interesting part: this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this necklace. Can’t recollect yet? Will help you!