Since 1948, on the first Monday of May, the world’s most illustrious celebrities, designers, industry icons, and socialites have congregated on the hallowed steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s not just the couture ensembles that draw all the world’s attention; the Met Gala has, over the years, served as a platform for natural diamonds and the myriad stories that each one of them beholds.
There was Priyanka Chopra Jonas in 2023, arriving in Valentino haute couture with Bulgari’s rare 11.16-carat Laguna Blu diamond at her neckline. And before that, Deepika Padukone in 2019, balancing a sculptural Zac Posen gown with diamond earrings. Indian celebrities have long understood the power of natural diamonds at the Met Gala.
This year, the gala — that was themed on “Costume Art” — was no different. While heiress Isha Ambani walked the carpet in her family’s heirloom diamonds, Natasha Poonawalla paired her outfit with large diamond drop earrings that cascaded down to her shoulders.
Here are the most notable natural diamond jewellery that we spotted on the red carpet…
The best natural diamond jewellery looks at the 2026 Met Gala
Isha Ambani’s Met Gala diamonds: 150 carats of old mine-cut gems
Isha Ambani wore gemstones that belong to her family: approximately 150 carats of old mine-cut natural diamonds, including a three-strand necklace and chandelier earrings. Most significantly, natural diamonds were sewn directly into the blouse. The result was a look that took the theme at its word: jewellery as personal history, worn as art. On the red carpet, she was even quoted saying that she was wearing a blouse full of her mother’s jewellery. The heirloom diamonds were, indisputably, the centre piece, with the sari serving as the perfect pairing.
Simone Ashley’s Met Gala 2026 jewellery: De Beers London Arpeggia
Fresh off The Devil Wears Prada 2, Simone Ashley — who speaks proudly of her South Indian roots — wore a Stella McCartney dress made entirely of draped silver chains. De Beers London Arpeggia natural diamond jewellery added to the metallic look: Three Line Diamond Earrings in 18ct white gold (9.12 carats), a Five Line Diamond Bracelet (15.92 carats) and Three Line Diamond Bracelet (9.50 carats) in 18ct white gold, an Allegria Diamond Eternity Band in platinum (3.70 carats) and an Arpeggia Three Row Diamond Ring (1.64 carats). The diamonds weren’t an accessory to the dress. They were the look.
Beyoncé’s Met Gala 2026 jewellry: Chopard Queen of Kalahari necklace
Beyoncé’s return to the Met after a decade away was always going to draw attention; the diamond jewellery matched the moment. She wore Chopard’s Queen of Kalahari necklace, named after a 342-carat rough diamond that yielded 23 gems for the Garden of Kalahari collection. Jay-Z completed the look with a vintage natural diamond brooch by Briony Raymond, worn at the collar rather than the lapel.
Rihanna’s Met Gala 2026 Desert diamonds: Glenn Spiro Golconda earrings
Rihanna set the tone for the Desert diamonds trend early. She wore old Moghul Golconda fancy brown-yellow diamond earrings by Glenn Spiro: two pear-shaped natural diamonds totalling 51.9 carats, from the same historic Indian region that produced the Hope Diamond and the Koh-i-Noor. The choice brought centuries of diamond provenance directly onto the “Costume Art” carpet.
Ananya Birla’s Met Gala ensemble: a statement of steel and diamonds
Artist and entrepreneur Ananya Birla arrived wearing Robert Wun couture but what stood out the most about the look was the custom headpiece by Indian artist Subodh Gupta. Crafted from stainless steel and acrylic, the mask used traditional Indian utensils, found in all Indian homes, a masterful interpretation of the ordinary and extraordinary, and a fitting ode to the theme. The look was accessorised with statement diamond jewellery from Mehta & Sons, layered with personal pieces. Just the right amount of sparkle for a look that spoke volumes.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Met Gala jewellery: Old Hollywood diamonds for fashion’s biggest night
Sabrina Carpenter’s custom Dior look, designed by Jonathan Anderson, was created entirely by celluloid film strips taken from the 1954 Billy Wilder film “Sabrina”, starring Audrey Hepburnxix. The rhinstone-encrusted tulle dress was completed with a diamond headpiece featuring the film’s title card at the forehead. Her Chopard chandelier earrings played into the Old Hollywood reference naturally: the kind of diamonds Hepburn herself might have worn.
Natasha Poonawalla’s Met Gala 2026 look: sculptural couture
When billionaire philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla stepped onto the red carpet, her outfit — Orchid Pectoral, a sculptural piece by British visual artist Marc Quinn worn with a white couture gown by Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda — turned as many heads as did her unique choice of natural diamonds. The mismatched pair of diamond drop earrings (a single round brilliant on one side, and a shoulder-grazing chandelier on the other) served as proof that natural diamonds are bound to shine, no matter what rules they abide by or not.
Princess Gauravi Kumari’s Met Gala debut: an ode to a royal lineage
Made from an original pink chiffon sari once worn by her grandmother, the iconic Maharani Gayatri Devi and designed by Prabal Gurung, Princess Gauravi Kumari’s ensemble was a hat-tip to old world elegance as much as it was a tribute to her royal lineage. The soft pink of the sari-gown honoured the signature pink hue of the city of Jaipur; the pearl necklaces that adorned her neck — drawn from The Gem Palace, Jaipur — bore a strong Jaipur connection too and were layered with uncut diamonds and rubies. Intricate ear chains and stacked bangles completed her look, which doubled up as a reminder that heritage can fit into contemporary sensibilities when done the right way.
Emma Chamberlain’s Met Gala 2026 jewellry: Chopard yellow and white diamonds
Emma Chamberlain was one of the night’s most talked-about looks before she’d even made it up the steps. Her custom Mugler gown, created with Chicago artist Anna Deller-Yee, was hand-painted using traditional fine art materials across 40 hours of work and four days of drying time. A literal work of art worn as a dress. Against the Van Gogh-inspired swirls, her Chopard yellow and white diamond earrings were the right call: warm natural diamonds that echoed the gown’s color without competing with it. A quiet Desert diamond moment on one of the loudest looks of the night.
If the Met Gala has always been fashion’s grandest stage, its most lasting impressions are often in the details. This year, natural diamonds threaded through the red carpet with quiet consistency. And as ever, they didn’t need to say much to be noticed.
