Kardashian wins auction battle for Diana pendant
Reality TV star beats off rivals in dying minutes of sale to secure £164,000 gem-studded cross
KIM KARDASHIAN has acquired the Attallah Cross, famously worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, after the unique pendant went on sale at Sotheby’s London.
The 1920s amethyst and diamond cross sold for £163,800, more than double its pre-auction estimate, after a competition between four bidders in the final five minutes of the sale.
It was ultimately purchased by a representative for reality TV star Kardashian, 42, the auction house confirmed late last night.
The pendant was most famously worn by Diana with an Elizabethanstyle Catherine Walker gown for a London charity gala in 1987.
However, the princess wore the cross on several occasions, and was the only person to wear it after it was purchased from Garrard by the late businessman Naim Attallah in the 1980s.
Through his friendship with Diana, Attallah loaned it to her on various occasions over several years.
The cross-shaped pendant is set with square-cut amethysts and accented by circular-cut diamonds.
Kristian Spofforth, head of jewellery at Sotheby’s London, said: “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name.”
Kardashian’s purchase comes after she has previously shown interest in historic fashion items, including a Marilyn Monroe dress she wore at last year’s Met Gala in New York.
It was originally worn by Monroe during her famous 1962 performance of “Happy Birthday” for US president John F Kennedy, and has since become the world’s most valuable dress.
After receiving a backlash online for wearing the iconic gown, the museum that loaned it had to come to her defence and stress that it was not damaged by Kardashian, after pictures surfaced appearing to show as much.
However, the reality star’s most recent acquisition marks a permanent addition to her collection rather than a temporary loan.
After the sale was complete, Mr Spofforth told The Daily Telegraph that the buyer, later revealed as Kardashian, was “very excited” about their purchase.
He said: “You look at the intrinsic value of a piece like that and you think it’s worth X amount. You have no idea how much to put on the provenance, being an amazing story behind it.”
He attributed the late Princess Diana as the driving force behind the high figure, saying she was “absolutely” the reason it sold for more than double the estimated price.
“It’s not an easy cross to wear on its own … so if it had no Diana provenance whatsoever it wouldn’t have gone even vaguely near that price.
“She was a style icon of her time, not just being a princess and famous for marrying into the Royal family.
“She did a lot of charitable work and went to several charitable occasions”.
The cross pendant has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats.