(Celebrity)
Kim Kardashian Is Now The Proud Owner Of This Historical Princess Diana Necklace
She bought it for over $197k.
Over the years, Kim Kardashian has acquired a covetable collection of historical fashion goods for herself and her children. Back in 2011, she bought jewelry from an auction that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and, in 2019, she gifted North (who was six at the time) Michael Jackson’s velvet jacket, which he reportedly wore while out with Taylor once. This week, Kardashian is making headlines once again with her purchases at auction houses. According to a Sotheby’s press release, Kardashian just bought Princess Diana’s amethyst pendant dubbed the Attallah Cross. The pendant sold for $197,453, which was double its pre-auction estimate.
“This is a bold piece of jewelry by its size, color, and style which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement, whether it be of faith or fashion — or indeed both,” said Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry, Sotheby’s London in a statement. “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name.”
For the fashion history buffs out there, the Attallah cross was created in the 1920s by Garrard, a luxury jewelry company. The pendant consists of a flowery design with square-cut amethysts accented by circular-cut diamonds. The total diamond weight is approximately 5.25 carats and the cross measures 136 x 95 millimeters.
The pendant was initially owned by the former group chief executive of Asprey & Garrard, the late Naim Attallah CBE, who was friends with Princess Diana. Hence, he was able to loan her the necklace several times over the years to wear to events. The royal notably wore the accessory in October 1987 when she attended a Birthright charity gala. There, she styled the piece with a purple and black Catherine Walker dress. As noted by Sotheby’s in an email, the cross was “only ever worn by [Princess Diana], and following her death, it was never seen in public again until now,” — making Kardashian’s recent purchase even more special.
In addition, as Princess Di fans might know, she had a long-standing relationship with Garrard as she got her sapphire engagement ring from there in 1981. (Kate Middleton is now the proud owner of the iconic blue sparkler.) Other pieces Princess Diana’s worn from Garrard include her Swan Lake necklace and a diamond and South Sea pearl necklace.
Kardashian has yet to publicly comment on buying a Princess Diana-loved jewelry piece, but chances are it won’t be long before the Skims founder wears it in public for everyone to see. Perhaps she is saving this major style moment for an upcoming red carpet appearance or for an important fashion event like the 2023 Met Gala, which is on May 1. (You’ll recall she famously wore Marilyn Monroe’s dress last year to the party and promptly stirred up controversy with her look.)
As you keep an eye on when and where Kardashian wears the cross, shop similar versions ahead should you like the design. Here’s hoping, too, that Kardashian will one day sell or auction off the Princess Diana amethyst pendant, so someone else will have the chance to wear it as well.
