Kim Kardashian has acquired a necklace worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. The Attallah Cross, a pendant constructed of square-cut amethysts highlighted by circular diamonds that Princess Diana wore, sold for $197,453 (about £160,000) at a London auction.
“This is a bold piece of jewellery by its size, colour, and style, which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement – whether it be of faith or fashion, or indeed both,” remarked Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry at Sotheby’s London. “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name.” The final sale price from Kardashian is more than double its pre-auction value.
One of Princess Diana’s favorite jewelers, Garrard, designed the Attallah Cross in the 1920s. Princess Diana’s friend Naim Attallah purchased the necklace in the 1980s, and he lent it to the royal for a number of public engagements. The princess most notably wore it with a Catherine Walker gown in October 1987 at the London charity banquet for Birthright, a nonprofit organization that now goes by the name Wellbeing of Women and works to improve the health of women, girls, and infants. She supposedly only ever wore the necklace.
Kardashian has acquired other legendary pieces of fashion history in the past. The dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at the Met Gala last year was famously and controversially worn by the celebrity. It was lent to her by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum on the red carpet. She wore a Norman Norrell creation the same evening that Marilyn Monroe had worn at the 1962 Golden Globes. The green sequined dress was discovered by Kardashian at Heritage Auctions.
She also splashed $25,000 for a costume Janet Jackson used in her “If” music video. But this Sotheby’s victory is the first time she has openly bid on antique jewels connected to the British royal family.
