A look at Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur's exquisite diamond, ruby and pearl necklaces: Where are they now

The late Maharani Gayatri Devi's impressive jewellery collection, including an emerald necklace and a ruby-diamond piece, highlights her as a fashion icon.

Gayatri Devi, the former Maharani of Jaipur and a member of the Lok Sabha, was one of Vogue’s 10 most beautiful women in the world and was known for many things, including her iconic, still-relevant style. A princess born into royalty, a style icon, a women’s rights advocate, and a politician: her jewellery collection was one to die for.

On January 10, Jaipur-based jewellery label Varq Jewels shared a compilation of some of the most stunning jewels from Maharani Gayatri Devi's personal collection. Let's take a look:

The iconic ruby and diamond necklace

Crafted by Cartier and designed in London in 1954, the ruby-and-diamond necklace with matching earrings was gifted to Gayatri Devi by her husband, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II.

It was later donated to the British Museum. Made of rubies, diamonds, and platinum, the necklace features a stiff collar design, which was a hallmark of early post-war jewellery trends. The detachable centrepiece could also be worn as a brooch.

The signature pearls and more

Though she had an exquisite collection filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other pieces decked with precious stones created by high-jewel brands like Cartier, Boucheron, Faberge, and Van Cleef & Arpels, pearls remained her favourite. The royal often beautifully matched her pearl necklaces with almost every outfit.

According to The Diamond Talk, a beautiful string of natural pearls and diamond Cartier necklace from Gayatri Devi's collection, with thirty-seven round to oval natural pearls, fetched millions at Christie’s Jewels auction.

Gayatri Devi once quoted her grandmother in her memoir, saying that her grandmother advised her to never wear emeralds with a green saree, but rather with a pink saree. A trend that has aged well and dripped into today's fashion ethos.

One of her iconic emerald jewellery pieces remains a 3-strand graduated emerald necklace (18th-19th century), set in platinum and secured with a pair of diamond-and-emerald-set elements at each side and a barrel-shaped clasp at the back. It was made by Cartier in 1937.

Maharani Gayatri Devi's signature aesthetic is almost a de facto uniform for the royals and continues to inspire generations of fashion enthusiasts.