Kim Kardashian gives Princess Diana’s famed crucifix necklace its first public outing

(CNN) — Kim Kardashian is no stranger to wearing fashion history. In recent years she’s donned pieces belonging to Marilyn Monroe, Janet Jackson and Jackie Kennedy, to name but a few. Her personal archive includes museum-grade treasures such as Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond and jade Lorraine Schwartz bracelet, and in 2022 she even acquired the white fedora worn by Michael Jackson in the 1988 music video for “Smooth Criminal” to complete her daughter North’s Halloween costume.

But on Saturday, at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles, Kardashian debuted another cultural artifact — a diamond-lined cross pendant, once a favorite of Princess Diana.

Kardashian bought the piece for £163,800 (around $212,000) in January 2023 during the final five minutes of a Sotheby’s auction. Her red carpet appearance over the weekend marked the first time the necklace has been worn in public since Diana’s death in 1997.

With its diamonds weighing approximately 5.25 carats, the cross measures 5.4 inches by 3.7 inches and was made by Garrard, the British court jewelers, in the early 20th century. It was bought in the 1980s by the late Palestinian-British businessman Naim Attallah, who, according to Sotheby’s, lent the piece to Diana several times – most notably, for a 1987 charity gala in support of Birthright, an organization working to protect human rights during pregnancy and childbirth, where she paired the vivid piece with a matching maroon velvet Catherine Walker gown.

Kardashian styled the necklace differently, shortening the pearl chain significantly, and wearing it alongside a stack of jewels, including a six-strand pearl choker. Instead of coordinating her outfit with the amethyst hue, Kim used the piece to inject a pop of color into her otherwise all-white look. But the deep plunge of her gown’s neckline and the provenance of the Renaissance-style cross has divided opinion online, with some arguing the risqué cut feels incongruous with the religious symbol. Others are turned off by Kardashian’s ability to not only access these historical relics, but to wear them and risk damaging them. “Why are we still giving this woman precious heirlooms like Diana’s necklace after she broke Marilyn’s dress,” wrote one commenter on Instagram. (In 2022, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! issued a statement rejecting claims that the Marilyn Monroe dress it had lent Kardashian for the Met Gala had been “in any way” damaged.)

It remains to be seen whether Kardashian continues to wear the pendant, or if it will now be squirreled away in her extensive archive. When the megastar bought the piece last year, Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry at Sotheby’s in London, said he was excited by the new ownership. “This is a bold piece of jewellery by its size, colour and style which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement, whether it be of faith or fashion – or indeed both,” he said in a press release. “We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name.”