Kim Kardashian has snapped up the Attala cross worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, after the pendant went up for sale at Sotheby’s in London.
The Attallah Cross, a 1920s pendant by luxury jewelery designer Garrard that was worn several times by Diana, sold for £163,800 at Sotheby’s royal and noble sale on Wednesday.
The amethyst cross was reportedly contested by four bidders in the final five minutes of the Sotheby’s sale and was eventually bought by a representative of Kardashian, 42, the auction house confirmed.
The pendant, most famously worn by Diana at a charity gala in London in October 1987, sold for more than double its pre-auction estimate.
The cross was first purchased by Garrard from businessman Naim Atala in the 1980s and through his friendship with Diana Atala he was able to borrow it from her several times over several years.
The cross-shaped pendant – believed to be a one-off private commission by Garrard – is a bold and colorful piece set with square amethysts and accented with round diamonds. The cross has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats.
The Cross of Atallah. Photo: Sotheby’s
Ahead of its sale, head of jewelery at Sotheby’s London Christian Spofforth said: ‘Jewelry owned or worn by the late Princess Diana very rarely comes to market, particularly a piece like the Attala Cross, which is so colourful, bold and distinctive.
“To some extent, this unusual locket is symbolic of the princess’ growing confidence in her choice of tailoring and jewelery at this particular time in her life.”
Kardashian has previously shown an interest in historical fashion items, including a Marilyn Monroe dress worn by the reality star at last year’s Met Gala. In May 2022, Kardashian revealed that she had lost 16lb to fit into the ‘iconic’ dress, which was loaned to her by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum.
It was originally worn by Monroe during her famous 1962 performance of US President John F. Kennedy’s Happy Birthday.
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