Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela has been dominating the headlines for the last two days not just due to her presence at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival but also her sartorial choices at the event. The actress who is present at the 76th edition of the festival at the French Riviera made head turns as she stepped out in a reptilian necklace on the first day of the festival. The crocodile necklace by Cartier went viral in no time. The actress has now shared her thoughts on the much-talked about necklace and why she chose to wear it. She said, “It is one of my favourites and I absolutely love it. It has got a lot of history behind it. It is something of a signature. I believe that when you are in Cannes and being a very proud Indian, I feel that there has to be something signature, something very different. I absolutely love the design, and the diamonds on it. It is something worth it.”
For context, Urvashi Rautela's exquisite necklace from Cartier is shaped in the form of intertwining crocodiles. The necklace is meticulously crafted in gold and adorned with diamonds and cabochon emeralds.
As Urvashi Rautela shared, the necklace boasts of a unique and fascinating history. As per a report by Forbes, the necklace was commissioned by a Mexican actress Maria Felix. Her inspiration was -- wait for it -- her pet baby crocodile. In 1975, the star walked into Cartier's Paris boutique with her pet baby crocodile in an aquarium and commissioned the special necklace. It was made to resemble the crocodile's face and features as closely as possible. The versatile necklace, which is part of Cartier's collection of historic jewellery, can also be detached and used as separate brooches.
In 2018, Cartier recreated the iconic crocodile necklace along with three additional companion pieces. The crocodile necklace's exact price remains undisclosed. Apart from Maria Felix herself, only actress Monica Bellucci has worn the original crocodile necklace. Interestingly, she too wore it to Cannes in 2006.
Urvashi Rautela paired her Cartier necklace with a fuschia gown by Sima Couture. She has shared a bunch of photos and videos of herself moments before walking the red carpet. Along with the montage video, she wrote, “76th Festival de Cannes 2023 Merci.”
Here are some other glimpses of the star at Cannes wearing the necklace:
Urvashi Rautela is known for her work in Singh Saab the Great, Sanam Re, Pagalpanti and The Legend.
