Reports that Kim Kardashian has bought an extravagant pendant once worn by Princess Diana has generated a lot of conversation online.
On Wednesday evening, it was revealed that The Kardashians star was the new owner of the Attallah Cross, which was sold at an auction in London for £163,800.
Four bidders were apparently in competition for the amethyst cross, with the Sotheby’s auction house confirming that it was Kim who had won out in the end with a six-figure bid.
Given that last year Kim was famously pictured in one of Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic dresses at the Met Gala, people had plenty to say about the news.
And it didn’t take long for the reality-star-turned-legal-student’s latest purchase – and the ensuing backlash – to spark a new meme over on Twitter, where people began pondering what other iconic artefacts Kim might get her hands on in the future…
The pendant, which was most famously worn by Diana at a London charity gala in October 1987, sold for more than double its pre-auction estimate.
Diana paired the item with a Catherine Walker dress as she attended the gala in support of Birthright, a charity working towards the protection of human rights during pregnancy and childbirth.
The cross was first bought from Garrard by businessman Naim Attallah in the 1980s, and through his friendship with Diana, Attallah was able to loan it to her on several occasions over a number of years.
It has a total diamond weight of approximately 5.25 carats.
Ahead of its sale, head of jewellery at Sotheby’s London Kristian Spofforth said: “Jewellery 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 colourful, bold and distinctive.
“To some extent, this unusual pendant is symbolic of the princess’s growing self-assurance in her sartorial and jewellery choices, at that particular moment in her life.”