The Power of Wearing

An item of jewelry may have merit by the workmanship or by the value of its gemstones.

What's in a Name?   

But we should never overlook the power of who wears that item and the provenance it creates. Several dazzling personalities over the years have added their cachet to jewelry-- Elizabeth Taylor, Duchess of Windsor, and of course Princess Diana come to mind.

A recent Sotheby auction of a prominent amethyst and diamond cross pendant worn by Diana proves one doesn't even have to own the piece for the fairy dust to settle over it. 



Named The Attallah Cross, this circa 1920s fleuree-style cross motif pendant made by jeweler to royalty Garrard & Co., was an adored item of Princess of Wales. You may recall that is the jeweler who also made her now famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring in 1981.  

Just Borrowing it, Please

The cross pendant's bold size makes an unforgettable statement. Diana wore it on several occasions--including to a formal event where her velvet gown matched the famed pendant's regal hue.

There have been many photos published of her wearing it. And Sotheby London ramped up its pre-sale interest by bringing these photos back out again. Small detail that was lost to many royal watchers was that Diana never actually owned this violet jewel. It remained with Garrard and was happily loaned to her when she had occasion to wear it.

The dazzling necklace had a pre-auction estimate of £80,000. But when the flurry of last minute bidding simmered to one remaining person, the hammer came down on £ 163,800, or $197,453. The winner just so happened to be Kim Kardashian, another media savvy icon, for different reasons of course.

 

 

 She's on a Roll

Turns out, it's not Kim's first rodeo. She is somewhat of a celebrity collectible's collector. A few years back, an historic but simple Cartier tank watch owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (appearing in several iconic photos of her) was snapped up by La Kim as well. The 2017 Christie's sale results revealed that Kardashian snapped up the 1960s basic timepiece for $379,500. 

When you want something nothing else will do. 



Comments

Popular Posts