Kim Kardashian wore Princess Diana’s necklace to the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles.
At the gala on 2 November, the American Horror Story: Delicate star stepped out in a white Gucci gown paired with the Princess of Wales’ Attallah cross pendant. She acquired the diamond-encrusted amethyst piece at Sotheby’s 2023 Royal & Noble auction for $197,453 in a bid that was reportedly “double its pre-auction estimate.”
“This is a bold piece of jewelry by its size, color and style which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement, whether it be of faith or fashion — or indeed both,” Sotheby London’s Head of Jewelry, Kristian Spofforth, shared in a statement at the time. “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name.”
The iconic pendant, set with 5.25 carats of diamonds, was famously worn by Princess Diana at Birthright’s 1987 charity gala in London. She styled the amethyst cross with a Catherine Walker royal purple velvet gown, elegantly draped on a long pearl chain. Beyond that evening, Diana wore the pendant on multiple other occasions.
According to Sotheby’s, the piece was only ever seen on the Princess and, following her passing had remained out of the public eye until the auction. Now, Kardashian becomes the first to wear it in decades, paying tribute to Diana’s style by pairing the pendant with a shorter pearl chain in a layered choker arrangement.
The pendant’s story spans decades, beginning with its creation by Garrard in the 1920s. Later acquired by the late Naim Attallah CBE, the former Asprey & Garrard executive, he often loaned the unique piece to Diana in the 1980s. Sotheby’s noted the Princess’s strong ties with the jeweler, a relationship cemented when she selected her engagement ring from Garrard in 1981.
Over the years, Kardashian has developed a penchant for rocking pop culture relics.
She famously broke the internet—and sparked backlash—when she hit the 2022 Met Gala red carpet in the very same crystal-studded Jean Louis gown Marilyn Monroe wore while famously serenading President John F. Kennedy on his birthday in 1962. The iconic champagne silk dress – instrumental in Kardashian’s homage to the Hollywood icon – was borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Orlando.
Ripley’s had acquired the gown at Julien’s Auction in 2016 for a jaw-dropping $4.81 million, cementing its status as one of the world’s most expensive dresses.
