The American
influencer
and businesswoman Kim Kardashian has bought the so-called Attallah Cross, an amethyst and diamond pendant used on several occasions by Princess Diana of Wales, the first wife of the current King Charles III.
Kardashian, 42, has paid about 163,800 pounds (about 200,000 euros) at auction at Sotheby's, doubling the starting price of the object.
The auction house itself has been in charge of informing about the acquisition through a statement.
The star of
reality TV show
The
Kardashians
bid on the piece — which features 11 large square-cut amethysts surrounded by round-cut diamonds weighing 5.25 carats — in an aristocratic sale called the
Royal and Noble,
held on Wednesday in London.
The Princess of Wales wore that jewel on several occasions, after it was lent to her by her friend Naim Attallah, a British-Palestinian writer and businessman, who bought it in the 1980s at the Garrard jewelry store, a regular among royals. .
Apparently, this was one of the favorite jewels of the late Princess of Wales, along with the blue sapphire ring with which Prince Charles proposed to her or tiaras such as the Lover's Knot and the Spencer.
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Kardashian took the cross almost by surprise, in the last five minutes.
The piece was created in the twenties by the British jeweler Garrard, but it is famous in the collective imagination for having been used on several occasions by Princess Diana.
“Rarely does jewelry that the late Princess Diana owned or wore come to market, especially a piece like the Attallah Cross, which is so colourful, bold and distinctive,” Kristian Spofforth, a Sotheby's spokesman, said ahead of the sale.
“We are delighted that this piece has found a new life in the hands of another world famous name.”
Image of the Attallah cross provided by Sotherby's auction house. Courtesy of Sotheby's (EFE/Courtesy of Sotheby's)
As a member -perhaps the greatest exponent- of current pop culture, Kim Kardashian knows the importance of iconic objects from the past.
The Attallah Cross is not the first piece with history to pass through his closet.
Last year, the
influencer
attended the New York Metropolitan Museum gala wearing the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang for then-US President John F. Kennedy on his birthday in 1962. Kardashian was initially accused of damaging the dress ( news that the museum that had lent it to him denied) and criticized for boasting of having followed a strict diet to be able to put it on.
In any case, the images of Kardashian with the iconic garment went around the world.
On the other hand, the
influencer
is a great collector of jewelry.
You can afford it.
Last year, Forbes magazine included her in the exclusive list of billionaires.
However, her relationship with the jewelry store changed radically in 2016, when a group of thieves gagged her and ransacked her apartment in Paris.
The looters managed to loot valued at 10 million euros, whose most precious objects were an 18-carat diamond ring, diamonds and pieces of gold.
Since then, Kardashian claims not to treasure anything of value at home.
In fact, when she has appeared publicly wearing jewelry, it has been fake.
This is how she told it in an interview with Andy Cohen: “As far as jewelry is concerned, if I wear any, they are always borrowed.
Or fake."