Maharaja's necklace on sale in Paris for Dh22m

Would you like to own a piece of jewellery that once adorned the neck of one of the most famous of Indian maharajas?

If the answer is "yes" then be prepared to pack your bags and leave for Paris this September.

This is because a necklace, owned by the Maharaja of Patiala will be on sale at the Biennale des Anitquares for a princely sum of Dh21.8 million.

The choker, which was created in 1928 at the workshops of Cartier, Paris, was commissioned by Maharajah Bhupindar Singh of Patiala.

The maharaja was born at the Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala. At the age of nine he succeeded as Maharaja of Patiala upon death of his father, Maharaja Rajinder Singh, on November 9, 1900.

He was well-known for the construction of buildings with bold architectural designs in Patiala and also for an exceptional collection of medals, believed to be the world's largest at the time.

Legend has it that Maharaja Bhupindar Singh would be driven in a motorcade of 20 Rolls Royce cars. He also got a unique monorail system built in Patiala known as Patiala State Monorail Trainways.

The maharaja was very fond of jewellery and was one of Cartier's regular clients.

In fact, a story goes that the maharaja landed up at Cartier's office with a casket full of the most exquisite jewels and asked the jewellery company to make various articles for him. This necklace is part of a ceremonial parure, a set of jewellery worthy of this dignitary.

Patrick Normand, Managing Director of Cartier Middle East and South Asia told Emirates Business: "Cartier's ties with India dates back to the early 20th century, when Jacques Cartier used to visit the Subcontinent to build his relationship with the maharajas. As a result, the most exquisite jewellery pieces and Art Deco styles known to Cartier and the rest of the world, were created. Some of these gave birth to creations like the Tutti Fruitti Style, with its blend of colourful Kashmiri sapphires, Burmese rubies and wonderful Moghul engraved emeralds.

"The most extravagant of these creations was the ceremonial necklace of the Maharaja Bhupindar Singh of Patiala (1891-1938). It was certainly the biggest; most impressive choker ever made by Cartier, if not by any jeweller in the world, this necklace symbolised the maharajah's wealth and power."

This choker is not only precious because of its antiquity and provenance, but also because of the precious metals and stones used.

It is a modern choker, both in its geometric form and in its dimensions. It is made of platinum, as opposed to the traditional yellow-gold, which was widely used in India in those days.

After being in the maharaja's family for generations, the choker was sold off and was subsequently acquired by Cartier and meticulously restored by them to render the platinum jewel accurately back to its original state, several of the diamonds had disappeared and some links were missing.

It took more than eight months to source mine cut diamonds whose characteristics complied strictly with the specifications at the time and the descriptions in the Maison's records.

The same demands were applied to the setting whose platinum links were restored to match the original precisely.

Patrick Normand said: "Cartier's craftsmen got involved in a unique adventure and succeeded in recreating the glorious necklace. Slowly the splendour of the necklace returned – catching the brilliance originally reflected by the necklace many centuries ago.

"Cartier will exhibit this magnificent piece offering it for sale at the 24th edition of the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris from September 11 to September 21, 2008," said Normand.

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