At Sotheby’s annual Royal and Noble Collection sale in January, US reality TV star Kim Kardashian purchased the diamond and amethyst Ataler cross necklace previously worn by Princess Diana.
The pendant, weighing 5.25 carats, sold for US$197,453 (£160,000). This is almost double the pre-auction estimate.
The diamond and sapphire encrusted pendant was first designed by court jeweler Garrard in the 1920s and later became part of the collection of Palestinian-British industrialist and author Naim Ataler. Attallah was the former CEO of his Asprey and Garrard brands and a friend of Diana.
The necklace’s legacy and its association with Diana has secured its place in fashion’s rich history. It reminds me.
It’s unclear how the more ephemeral celebrity associations of the social media age will affect the longevity of fashion-related memorabilia.
celebrities sell
The Attallah cross is the latest addition to Kim Kardashian’s ever-growing collection of celebrity memorabilia. This is an item that represents the diverse history of fashion and popular culture.
Kardashian previously bought the jacket Michael Jackson wore for his daughter North, and one of only two Alexander McQueen Oyster dresses to wear at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar party. Andrew Bolton, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, described the garment as “perhaps the most important dress of the 21st century.”
Kardashian also famously wore Marilyn Monroe’s JFK birthday dress to the 2022 Met Gala.
Mass media representation has ignited society’s fascination with celebrities. This can be intensified when celebrities die, which may explain Kardashian’s urge to own these iconic items.
The trade in celebrity-owned fashion items isn’t limited to extraordinary pieces like the Ataler Cross. In 2013, Lady Gaga’s false nails sold for $12,000.
Most recently, in 2022, the tattered Birkenstock sandals Steve Jobs wore when he first launched Apple sold to an anonymous bidder for US$218,750.
Associations with certain celebrities have given these objects economic and cultural value. Kardashian didn’t just buy Diana’s physical necklace, she bought her emotional storyline.
Why Fashion Objects Matter
Scholars working in the field of material culture (derived from the field of anthropology) focus on understanding society through the relationships between people and things.
This includes looking at why people buy what they do and how those things bring meaning to their lives.
Recognizing that fashion items have deep personal and cultural significance helps explain why celebrity-owned items combine personal, cultural, and economic value.
Why is Kim Kardashian buying celebrity memorabilia?
Kardashian is a celebrity in the social media age. Her trend adoption and endorsement of fast fashion brands have made her more accessible to the masses. She shares her values expressed through causes that are important to her, such as safety, the cause of cancer.
Social media has shifted the celebrity cult from the more detached celebrities of the pre-digital age to consumable personas where the boundaries between private and public are in constant tension. Kardashian’s overexposure suggests that her celebrity may be getting too close, compromising her long-term cultural value.
Jewelery worn by Diana is rarely offered for sale. For Kardashian, owning something so unique and exclusive with its significant history may represent an effort to keep her positioning away from superficiality in the Instagram age.
Kardashian invested in objects with cultural history worn by iconic women. In doing so, she became part of that story.
The Diana pendant has become an integral part of fashion history, not only because of its design, but because of the celebrities who owned it.