On the first Monday in May 2025, amidst a sea of couture gowns and archival glamour, one moment stood out on the Met Gala red carpet: Isha Ambani stepping out in a glittering high-jewelry necklace that mirrored one of cinema's most legendary heist targets. Her choice, a reimagined version of Cartier's Toussaint necklace, was more than a stunning fashion statement. It was a full-circle moment that elegantly bridged fiction and history.
The necklace, famously featured in the 2018 film Ocean's 8, was central to the plot's elaborate heist. In the movie, Anne Hathaway's character, Daphne Kluger, wears the piece to the Met Gala, unaware that an all-female crew plans to steal it mid-gala. Cartier recreated the Toussaint necklace for the film, adapting its design from a 1931 commission for an Indian Maharaja. Now, years later, the same necklace, reborn in the real world and worn to the very event it once graced in fiction, sparked a dazzling, symbolic moment.
Ocean’s 8 and the Cartier Heist
When Ocean's 8 debuted in 2018, it was praised for its clever twist on the beloved Ocean's franchise and its stellar female cast. But equally captivating was the glittering object at the heart of the heist: the Toussaint necklace. Crafted in partnership with Cartier, the necklace was not just a prop but a pivotal element that grounded the film's fantasy in luxurious reality.
Cartier allowed the production access to its archives and brought in its master jewelers from the High Jewelry atelier on Rue de la Paix in Paris to create a replica. The challenge? The original necklace had been designed for a man. Cartier had to scale down the proportions to suit Hathaway's décolletage, while preserving the grandeur of the original. Costume designer Sarah Edwards collaborated closely with Cartier, ensuring the piece matched the tone and elegance of the Met Gala scene.
The result was a spectacular showpiece set with zirconium oxide and mounted in white gold, not actual diamonds, but visually convincing enough to anchor a $150 million cinematic heist. It elevated the film beyond its glossy script, adding authenticity, elegance, and a tangible link to jewelry history.
Jeanne Toussaint: The Woman Behind the Name
The recreated necklace in Ocean's 8 was named in honor of Jeanne Toussaint, one of the most influential figures in Cartier's storied history. Toussaint, often called "La Panthère," was appointed Cartier's Director of Fine Jewelry in 1933, an extraordinary role for a woman in a male-dominated industry.
Her aesthetic vision helped define Cartier during the Art Deco period. She drew inspiration from far-flung cultures, exotic animals, and strong feminine energy. The now-iconic panther motif, which first appeared in 1914, is attributed to her influence and would go on to become one of Cartier's most enduring symbols.
Toussaint was a tastemaker, known for her bold style and unrelenting commitment to craftsmanship. Beyond jewelry, she shaped Cartier’s creative identity through wartime resilience and decades of evolving luxury. By naming the necklace after her, Cartier not only paid tribute to her legacy but also framed the piece as a celebration of female empowerment, a theme deeply resonant with Ocean's 8.
The Maharaja’s Commission: Where It All Began
To understand the significance of the Toussaint necklace, we have to go back to its inspiration: a 1931 commission by Maharaja Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja of Nawanagar. Known not just for his reign but also his prowess on the cricket field and his flair for style, the Maharaja sought out Jacques Cartier to create a necklace that would match his regal identity.
The result was a cascade of rare colored diamonds, anchored by the 136.25-carat Queen of Holland diamond, a flawless, blue-white stone of breathtaking clarity. The necklace also featured pink diamonds, a 12-carat green diamond, and a 26-carat blue diamond. It was a symphony of color and light, totaling nearly 500 carats. The layout was regal and symmetrical, forming a graceful V-shape that framed the wearer’s collarbones like a jeweled waterfall.
This masterpiece symbolized more than wealth. It reflected the era's intricate East-West exchanges, where Indian royals turned to European houses like Cartier to bring their visions to life. For Cartier, it was an opportunity to experiment with scale, color, and narrative, a perfect alignment of artistic ambition and royal patronage.
The Queen of Holland Diamond: A Gem With a Story
At the heart of the original necklace lay the Queen of Holland diamond. Despite its regal name, its origins remain mysterious. Believed to have surfaced in Amsterdam around the turn of the 20th century, it was named by the Dutch firm F. Friedman & Co. after Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.
Internally flawless and slightly bluish in hue, the diamond was sold to the Maharaja of Nawanagar and then set by Cartier into his ceremonial necklace. After the Maharaja's passing in 1933, the necklace remained within the family until Cartier reacquired the Queen of Holland in 1960. The stone changed hands again in 1978 when it was sold to diamond dealer William Goldberg, who re-cut it slightly to its current weight of 135.92 carats. Today, it resides in the private collection of Robert Mouawad, a name synonymous with some of the world's most exceptional gems.
Recreating the Toussaint: Engineering a Legend
For the film, Cartier's jewelers had just eight weeks to breathe life back into a piece that had long disappeared from public view. Relying on archival sketches and period photographs, they reimagined the original design, replacing natural diamonds with zirconium oxide, a visually similar but much more practical choice for filming.
The artisans had to scale down the necklace significantly. The original was designed for a tall Indian royal in ceremonial attire. In contrast, Anne Hathaway needed a necklace that could sit naturally with a couture gown, move fluidly during filming, and appear believable on screen.
Cartier's high-jewelry atelier solved the puzzle with exacting detail. Even the clasp was engineered for easy on-and-off access during filming without compromising the aesthetic. The result wasn’t just a believable stand-in. It was a tribute to Cartier's enduring artistry and capability. The recreated necklace shimmered with depth and luminosity under studio lighting, a testament to how craftsmanship and cinema can intersect.
Cartier and the Maharajas: A Relationship Etched in Gems
The Toussaint necklace was far from Cartier's only commission from Indian royalty. In the first half of the 20th century, a wave of Indian maharajas and nawabs traveled to Paris and London, bringing with them sacks of unset stones and a desire for something new.
Cartier, Boucheron, and other houses were more than willing collaborators. They helped reimagine traditional Indian jewelry silhouettes in the vocabulary of Art Deco. Maharajas sought pieces that reflected their heritage, but with European precision and style.
In addition to the Toussaint, Cartier created a turban ornament for the same maharaja, set with the 61.5-carat Tiger Eye diamond, now part of the Al Thani collection. These collaborations produced some of the most iconic pieces of jewelry in the 20th century, and their influence reverberates in Cartier's designs even today.
Jewelry, Film, and the Power of the Heist Fantasy
There’s a reason why so many heist films revolve around jewelry. Beyond the sparkle, necklaces and gems hold cultural weight. They symbolize power, vulnerability, seduction, and status.
In Ocean's 8, the Toussaint isn’t just bait. It’s a character. It provides motive, drama, and an aspirational center to the plot. The decision to focus the heist on a piece of heritage jewelry added layers to the story: questions of legacy, ownership, and reinvention are all at play.
The film joins a long tradition of jewelry playing a starring role in cinema. Think of the Heart of the Ocean in Titanic or the Tiffany diamond in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Toussaint necklace, real and imagined, now joins their ranks.
Isha Ambani and the Modern Met Gala Moment
In 2025, the Toussaint necklace once again made headlines, this time off-screen. Isha Ambani, daughter of billionaire philanthropist Nita Ambani, attended the Met Gala wearing a necklace inspired by the iconic Cartier creation. It was a poetic gesture: the necklace had been recreated for a film about stealing jewelry from the Met Gala, and now it was being worn there in reality.
The piece, reportedly part of Nita Ambani’s private collection, was reimagined by Cartier for this occasion, echoing the grandeur of the original. It stood as a statement of lineage, luxury, and power, linking modern Indian elite with the royal patrons of a bygone era.
It also signified a reclaiming of narrative. Whereas the original necklace was designed by Europeans for an Indian ruler, this iteration was worn by a modern Indian woman, standing on one of fashion's most global stages. The moment served not only as a full-circle tribute but also as a commentary on identity and inheritance through jewelry.
More Than a Necklace
The Toussaint necklace is more than an object of beauty. It is a historical thread, weaving together royal India, Parisian ateliers, Hollywood fantasy, and modern fashion. It tells a story of collaboration, reinvention, and timeless allure.
From the vaults of Cartier to the red carpet of the Met Gala, it remains a symbol of jewelry's unique power to captivate, to connect, and to convey something far deeper than sparkle. In every era it touches, the Toussaint necklace reflects not just light, but legacy.
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Image Credits
- Center image (Isha Ambani at the 2025 Met Gala): Image Credit: Getty Images, Greg Swales Photography (@gregswalesart), Alexey G (@alexeyg), AGP NYC (@agpnyc)
- Right image (Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger in Ocean’s 8): Image Courtesy of Ocean’s 8, Warner Bros. Pictures
- Left image (Maharaja of Nawanagar): Portrait reproduction; original courtesy of public domain archives
- Sketch (Cartier necklace design): Jeanne Toussaint necklace design sketch courtesy of the Cartier Archives
