Macabre meets maximalist with this Sabyasachi x the Met cuff

Yesterday, Sabyasachi announced a multi-year collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will see the designer mine the institution’s millennia-spanning collection and reinterpret objects from it through the lens of Indian craftsmanship as contemporary works of wearable art. First up: a high-jewellery collection shaped by the silhouettes and visual language of Byzantine art, with individual pieces riffing on objects from the Met’s collection. The full collection will be unveiled on the brand’s runway during New York Fashion Week on September 15, 2026, but we got a sneak peek of the collection, which includes medallion necklaces, a tiger claw pendant, a pair of jade and turquoise drop earrings, and one very hard-to-ignore gold cuff depicting a lion taking down an antelope.

Handcrafted in India by Sabyasachi’s network of master artisans from 18- and 22-carat gold, the cuff features massive garnet cabochons and is studded with brilliant-cut brown diamonds. Flip it open and even the inside is finished with an intricate geometric openwork pattern. The silhouette is commanding, ornate, and wide enough to swallow your wrist whole. You wouldn’t want to pair it with much else.

Its inspiration is, admittedly, a little macabre: a third-century Roman sarcophagus that’s currently on view in the galleries at the Met. The tub-shaped marble work depicts harnessed lions bringing down antelopes on either side, each accompanied by a handler—a reference to the venationes, or animal hunts, held in amphitheaters like the Colosseum. The imagery is tied to ancient Roman ideas of strength and valour.

But you don’t need to know Roman funerary art to want and wear this cuff. Although, should anyone ask, “It’s inspired by a third-century sarcophagus at the Met” is an impressive answer.

The cuff will be available at the Sabyasachi flagship store located at 160 Christopher Street in New York City and select Sabyasachi stores and retailers worldwide