Over the past few months, the world’s collective jaw has dropped as Anant Ambani wed Radhika Merchant in a lavish series of events. There have been musical performances (Justin Bieber! Rihanna! Katy Perry!), there were celebrities (Priyanka Chopra! Kim Kardashian!), and there was even a convention center transformed into an Indian fairytale world with towers of food, blankets of florals, and a crowd of 14,000. To recount the opulence would prove an impossible task—much like it is to tally up all the carats worn by the Ambani family over the past few days, as the celebrations culminated with the couple’s wedding ceremony.
Given the family’s much-documented love affair with jewelry, it was not surprising that, once again, they pulled a collection of jewels from the family vault that bordered on the unfathomable. From mother of the groom Nita Ambani’s 100-carat yellow diamonds to Radhika’s emerald-laden looks, the gems on show were unlike anything seen before.
Below, a roundup of the jewelry worn by the Ambanis over the weekend.
Photo: Stories by Joseph Radhik
The Sindoor Daan and Mangalsutra Ceremony: Radhika Wears Family Heirlooms
Of the jewelry she wore to her wedding ceremony, Radhika told Vogue, “I turned to family heirlooms for my ‘something old.’ I wore the same necklace my sister and aunts wore at their weddings, and I truly believe it gave me a special strength and blessing as I walked down the aisle. It was actually a piece that my dad had surprised my mom with on a holiday to celebrate their anniversary.” This family heirloom features of syndicate polki or uncut diamonds, Zambian emeralds, and a center stone of emerald-cut emeralds and emerald drops.
“I layered this with a new necklace we designed for this occasion,” she continues. This piece was designed by Mumbai-based jeweler Nisha Mehta and features five long strands of diamonds with a hulking emerald pendant suspended from several emeralds and diamonds.