One of the boldest jewels that Princess Diana ever wore has sold at auction.
The Attallah crucifix pendant, which was created by former crown jeweller Garrard in the 20th century, lead Sotheby’s annual Royal and Noble sale.
Jewellery owned or worn by the late Princess very rarely comes on to the market, so it’s no surprise that is sold for a staggering £163,800.
Fine jewellery experts at Steven Stone couldn’t wait to take a close look at the pendant and have revealed everything you need to know about the unusual piece – including which celebrity swooped in at the last minute with the winning bid.
The elaborate gold, silver, amethyst and diamond pendant is in the shape of a cross and is believed to have been created in the early 20th century by Garrard.
Not only is it an iconic piece because it was worn by the Princess of Wales, but it holds a great deal of sentiment as it hasn’t been seen since her sad passing.
The bold piece formerly belonged to Naim Atallah – a friend of Diana’s and former manager of Asprey – who loaned it on multiple occasions. It was later passed on to his son, Ramsay, who recently noted that he remembers Princess Diana visiting the historic Garrard store on Regent Street, expressing her fondness for the piece and asking to borrow it on several occasions.
Though amethyst traditionally represents the privilege of royalty, in true Diana fashion, the Princess went against tradition with the piece by wearing it on an unusually long chain. Princess Diana was renowned for her tendency to alter lavish pieces and her choice of chain encapsulated her talent for showcasing her wealth of royal jewels in a unique way.
Our experts recently valued the piece at £300,000, which is a staggering £136,200 less than it sold for.
According to a Sotheby’s press release, four bidders competed for the piece in the final five minutes. The auction house have revealed the winner of the bold piece to be none other than Kim Kardashian.
This isn’t the first time that Kim has expressed her love for historical fashion. Controversy surrounded the global name at the 2022 Met Gala when she wore the dress that Marilyn Monroe wore during her famous performance of ‘Happy Birthday’ to US president John F Kennedy in 1962.
“Very few people could carry an unusual piece like this off, but Princess Diana certainly could. The elaborate gold, silver, amethyst and diamond pendant is in the shape of a cross and is believed to have been created in the early 20th century by Garrard.
Not only is it an iconic piece as it was worn by the Princess of Wales, but there’s a hint of sentiment to it as it formerly belonged to Naim Attallah – a friend of Diana’s and former manager of Asprey – who loaned it to her on a number of occasions. The piece hasn’t been seen since Diana’s sad passing.
Though amethyst traditionally represents the privilege of royalty, Diana’s choice to wear the pendant with an unusually long chain encapsulates her knack for showcasing her collection of royal jewels in a unique way, unafraid to go against tradition and alter lavish pieces.
It’s interesting – but not surprising – to hear see that Kim Kardashian’s bid was the winner. The global name has previously paid homage to her love of historic fashion by wearing Marilyn Monroe’s famous ‘Happy Birthday’ dress to the 2022 Met Gala.
Whilst it’s tricky to put a price on such a remarkable piece, I’d estimate the pendant to be worth £300,000, which is nearly double what Kim Kardashian has bought it for.“
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
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