Kim Kardashian Adds Princess Diana's Attallah Cross Pendant to Her Collection

Kim Kardashian Adds Princess Diana's Attallah Cross Pendant to Her Collection

Kim Kardashian purchased the Attallah Cross, a famous pendant worn by Princess Diana in 1987, at a Sotheby's London auction on Wednesday.

Kim Kardashian, of the reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, had her eye on the Attallah Cross, a pendant worn by Princess Diana in 1987, when it went up for auction at Sotheby's London on Wednesday. Though she was unable to attend the auction in person, she sent a representative to bid on her behalf.

The auction for the Attallah Cross, a pendant worn by Princess Diana in 1987, was reportedly intense, with four bidders competing for the piece in the final minutes of the sale. Kim Kardashian's representative ultimately purchased the jewelry for £163,800, more than double its pre-auction estimate. The Attallah Cross was created by luxury jewelry designer Garrard in the 1920s and features an amethyst cross and circular-cut diamonds. 

Diana was often seen wearing the jewelry, including at a charity gala in London in October 1987. It's likely that Kim Kardashian did not attend the auction in person, as it was a tense event.

Princess Diana paired the Attallah Cross pendant with a Catherine Walker dress when she attended a gala in support of Birthright, a charity dedicated to protecting human rights during pregnancy and childbirth. 

The pendant was originally purchased by businessman Naim Attallah from Garrard in the 1980s and through his friendship with Diana, he loaned it to her for various occasions over a number of years. The Attallah Cross has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats.

Throughout her life, Princess Diana wore several pieces from Garrard, including the Swan Lake necklace, a diamond and South Sea pearl necklace made in collaboration with the jewelry house for her last public appearance. 

What are your thoughts on Kim Kardashian buying the Attallah Cross? Head of jewelry at Sotheby's London, Kristian Spofforth, stated before the sale, “Jewelry owned or 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."

Head of jewelry at Sotheby's London, Kristian Spofforth, stated before the sale, "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." Kim Kardashian has a history of acquiring famous items in pop culture history; in 2019, she bought daughter North, now nine, an iconic velvet jacket once worn by Michael Jackson on a night out with Elizabeth Taylor. Last year, the reality star also faced criticism for wearing Marilyn Monroe's famous nude-colored dress to the Met Gala, shedding 16 pounds to fit into it after Ripley's Believe It Or Not agreed to loan it to her for the red carpet event.