Princess Diana’s large Garrard purple amethyst and diamond Attallah cross, which went on sale during Sotheby’s 2023 “Royal and Noble” auction, reportedly sold for a whopping $197,453 on Wednesday — and it was purchased by none other than Kim Kardashian.
The piece was originally estimated to fetch 80,000 to 120,000 pounds ($96,000-$144,400 USD), according to Sotheby’s, yet Kardashian is said to have beat out three other bidders.
The Princess of Wales adorned the Fleurée cross set with square-cut amethyst accented by circular-cut diamonds attached to a long string of pearls to a Birthright charity gala in October 1987, which supports the protection of human rights during pregnancy and childbirth. The royal wore a purple and black velvet Catherine Walker evening gown with a modernized Elizabethan collar (also known as a “Ruff”) for the occasion.
Over the years, Princess Diana borrowed the amethyst and diamond cross pendant numerous times from Garrard, who was then the royal jeweler. After Princess Diana’s death, Naim Attallah, CBE and the former group chief executive of British luxury jewelry brand Asprey & Garrard, acquired the cross, but it was never worn by anyone other than the late princess (who was also the only person to ever wear it in public). After his death, it was passed on to his daughter, Ramsay Attallah.
Made up of diamond floral petal shapes, the necklace was manufactured by Garrard in the 1920s as a one-time private commission for a regular client. The cross-shaped pendant is set with square-cut amethysts, boasting approximately 5.25 carats in circular-cut diamonds.
“Jewelry owned of worn by the late Princess Diana very rarely comes on to the market, especially a piece such as the Attallah cross, which is so colorful, bold and distinctive,” said Kristian Spofforth, Head of Jewelry at Sotheby’s London. “To some extent, this unusual pendant is symbolic of the Princess’s growing self-assurance in her sartorial and jewelry choices, at that particular moment in her life.”
Kardashian’s purchase follows her 2022 Met Gala appearance, where she wore another iconic throwback piece — Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 Swarovski-encrusted Jean Louis dress. She later received a wave of backlash for her Met Ball ensemble after dropping 16 pounds to fit into the historic gown, which was borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
First, designer Bob Mackie, who sketched the original dress in 1962, came out against the reality star wearing the vintage piece. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Mackie said he thinks it was a “big mistake” for the reality star to borrow the piece and wear it on the Met Gala red carpet. “[Marilyn] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous,” he said. “Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.”
Then, experts and fashion conservationists were outraged to learn that the 60-year-old gown had been damaged during the reality star’s brief red carpet walk — specifically, the crystals and teared fabric by the zipper. After the controversy, Ripley’s debunked the notion that Kardashian damaged the dress at all.
Issuing a statement on June 16, Ripley’s Vice President of Publishing and Licensing said, “From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in. Adding, that she “did not in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.” Kardashian wore the original gown for her red carpet walk, and switched into a replica for the duration of the evening.
