This year’s Met Gala in New York raised a record $42 million, but the jewelry worn by guests at the swanky charity bash added up to more, starting with Beyoncé’s diamond necklace, valued at about $50 million.
The event, which raises funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art ‘s (Met) Fashion Institute, was a convention of power and money; this year, it was sponsored by one of the world’s richest men, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez.
As Met director Max Hollein unveiled the fashion exhibition that inspires the event, contributions from the more than 400 guests totaled $42 million, up 35% from last year, despite the controversy over the Bezos sponsorship.
The Met Gala brought together tycoons, businessmen, royalty and celebrities, decked out for the occasion in designer clothes and accessories with exorbitant prices, especially women’s jewelry, although many are often borrowed.
Beyoncé caused a furor with her silver skeleton dress, but even more so when it was revealed that the diamond necklace she wore was part of Chopard’s ‘The Kalahari Garden’ collection, valued at 50 million, as revealed by Page Six.
Her husband, Jay Z, also wore one of the most expensive accessories, a luxurious Patek Philippe Grandmaster watch valued at about 6 million, followed by the Jacob & Co. Billionaire III watch of actor Dwayne Johnson, ‘The Rock’, worth 3.3 million, according to specialized media.
Two Indian businesswomen also drew attention for their jewelry: Sudha Reddy wore a $15 million necklace with a 550-carat tanzanite from her personal collection, while Isha Ambani, carried 1,000 diamonds and precious stones, according to Town & Country.
Among the ‘cheaper’ jewelry, actress Keke Palmer showed off a $1 million Wempe necklace with some 1,200 diamonds, and Emily Blunt wore a $500,000 Mikimoto necklace with pearls and diamonds, according to InStyle magazine, reported Agencia EFE.
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