Nita Ambani dazzles in Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s jewellery worth billions

Nita Ambani has garnered media attention for her use of an exquisite kalgi from the Mughal era that has been transformed into a bazuband and is rumoured to have belonged to Emperor Shah Jahan.

Notably, Ambani won the “Beauty with Purpose Humanitarian Award” at the Miss World 2024 pageant thanks to this hand ornamentation that stole the show. The bazuband is reportedly valued at an incredible INR 2 billion.

On Instagram, Pramod Kumar KG, MD of a museum consulting firm in Delhi, highlighted the historical significance and high quality craftsmanship of the sculpture. According to Kumar, it was an engraved spinel-adorned sarpech (turban decoration) that had previously been seen in the Al Thani Collection.

“Shah Jahan, son of Jahangir Shah, proudly proclaim the pair of inscribed spinels highlighting this sarpech (turban ornament); last seen publicly at the Al Thani Collection before being divested at auction in 2019,” he said, while pointing out that the gold bazuband had diamonds, rubies, and spinels set within it. He praised its versatility, saying it captures the range of Indian jewellery.

Remarkably, the Ambani family recently threw an elaborate three-day pre-wedding celebration for their son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, who are soon to tie the knot.

Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding celebrations in India featured extravagant displays of riches, but the prospective groom’s mother Nita Ambani might have taken centre stage.

Last weekend, Anant and fiancée Radhika Merchant celebrated with a weekend full of events with A-list celebrities mixed with billionaires and the ultra-elite. The youngest of Nita and Mukesh Ambani’s sons is Anant. Based on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, Mukesh is the richest person in Asia, with an estimated net worth of $114 billion.

The lavish festivities of the three-day event, which featured a private performance by Rihanna and a community feast that served 51,000 people, grabbed headlines across the globe. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were also among the attendees.