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The maharajah stopped buying after the maharani suddenly died in 1937 at age 22.

Installed in a curtained rotunda at the entrance to the exhibition, it envisions Rubinstein, then 62, as a porcelain-skinned, gem-laden princess — “a youthful maharani,” as Mr. Klein observes.

Worn by maharanis and maids alike, this style has not wavered, although regional variations continue to thrive.

Here is a maharani’s necklace, bursting with emeralds carved to look like flowers; a blinding tiara worn by Princess Grace of Monaco; Marlene Dietrich’s bold ruby-and-diamond bracelet that saw screen time in “Stage Fright.”

"The woman who came from the maharani said that Rajah Ananda has taken the sacred elephant in his hand, for to-night is a night of omen at the Lake of the Golden Coin."