The Hyderabad-based billionaire philanthropist arrived in a custom Manish Malhotra couture gown alongside the Queen of Merelani — a 550-carat deep violet-blue tanzanite pendant at the center of a Victorian diamond necklace from her personal collection.The Hyderabad-based billionaire philanthropist arrived in a custom Manish Malhotra couture gown alongside the Queen of Merelani — a 550-carat deep violet-blue tanzanite pendant at the center of a Victorian diamond necklace from her personal collection.
Indian billionaire philanthropist Sudha Reddy arrived at the 2026 Met Gala red carpet on Monday wearing a statement necklace from her personal collection valued at over $15 million, according to her team. The piece is one of the most expensive pieces of jewelry seen at the event in recent memory.
The centerpiece of the necklace is the Queen of Merelani, a 550-carat deep violet-blue tanzanite pendant sourced from Tanzania’s Merelani Hills, suspended from a Victorian-finished chain of large triangular and pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds set in delicate floral clusters. A 23-carat yellow diamond ring and a 30-carat rose-cut polki diamond ring completed the jewelry suite, with the deep violet-blue of the tanzanite chosen deliberately to echo the midnight blue of her gown.
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Reddy’s gown itself was a custom Manish Malhotra couture creation titled “The Tree of Life,” styled by celebrity stylist Mariel Haenn. A deep royal blue velvet corseted dress blanketed in antique gold zari embroidery, with a sweeping theatrical train and a diaphanous hand-embroidered tulle cape, the look was realized over 3,459 hours by more than 90 artisans using zardozi, marodi, resham, and metalwork techniques rooted in Kalamkari — one of India’s oldest textile traditions.
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“Fashion, for me, has always been about the emotion behind the image,” Malhotra said in a statement. “It is not merely worn; it is experienced.”
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Reddy, who is based in Hyderabad and serves as a director at Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited, has made her Met Gala appearances a consistent platform for Indian craftsmanship and jewelry. She made her debut in 2021 in a gold gown by Falguni Shane Peacock, and returned in 2024 in a Tarun Tahiliani creation paired with her “Amore Eterno” necklace, a piece featuring more than 180 carats of diamonds, including a 25-carat heart-shaped stone.
The 2026 Met Gala took place on Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” celebrated fashion as an art form, with a dress code of “Fashion Is Art.” The event was co-chaired by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos serving as honorary chairs. The annual benefit raises funds for the Met’s Costume Institute.
