The Patiala Necklace was one of the world's most expensive pieces of jewelry when it was created in 1928. According to some accounts, the Maharajah of Patiala visited Cartier® with a box overflowing with jewels and requested they be made into a necklace. The ruler wanted something brilliant enough to be seen from atop his royal elephant. The result was a spectacular creation featuring five rows of diamond-encrusted platinum chains and 2,930 large diamonds leading the eye toward a dangling giant-the seventh largest diamond in the world.

Today, the original Patiala Necklace (almost 1000 carats!) would be worth as much as $30 million. While undeniably breathtaking, such an extravagance is hardly practical. We challenged our designers to come up with a way to create maximum visual impact with the minimum price tag. Our Lumiére Necklace features over 14-3/4 carats of brilliant, lab-created DiamondAura®. Each DiamondAura is set carefully by hand into its .925 sterling silver prong setting. The necklace sparkles with even more clarity and fire than natural mined diamonds, which in a similar design can sell for as much as $15,000.

We've invested years of research and millions of dollars in perfecting DiamondAura, which has won the praise of noted jewelry experts around the world. According to the book, Jewelry and Gems-the Buying Guide, the technique used in DiamondAura offers "the best diamond simulation to date." And it's clear from the first time she enters a room wearing this necklace that she doesn't need to be riding an elephant to make a massive impression!