The centerpiece of Sotheby’s upcoming Royal Jewelry Auction is the iconic purple diamond cross once worn by the late Princess of Wales. This storied piece, often associated with Princess Diana, is slated to captivate collectors and connoisseurs alike as part of a carefully curated sale that looks back at a remarkable era of royal adornment, design, and charitable endeavors. The cross was crafted by Garrard in the 1920s, a house renowned for its long-standing tradition of royal commissions and high jewelry excellence. Its journey from a personal keepsake to a public treasure reflects both personal taste and the broader narrative of royal jewelry as a timeline of public service and private memory.
The Attallah Cross is named after Naeem Attallah, the former chief executive of Asprey & Garrard, who owned the jewel for a period before passing it to his daughter Ramsay. In conversations recounting his ties to the Princess, Attallah recalled his friendship with Diana and his visits to Garrard on Regent Street, where his own office once stood. He remembered asking to borrow the pendant more than once, a sign of how deeply the piece resonated with Diana and those who admired her style. The cross did not merely serve as ornament; it symbolized a moment in time when royal fashion intersected with humanitarian work and public life, leaving a lasting impression on fashion history and royal lore.
Princess Diana wore the cross on a memorable evening in October 1987, gracing the premiere night of Birthright, a charity focused on protecting women’s rights during pregnancy and childbirth. The moment became part of a broader narrative in which Diana used her public platform to draw attention to important social issues, reinforcing the idea that jewelry can carry meaning beyond aesthetics. The cross’s display at such an event connects its beauty to a purpose, a pattern that has long characterized Diana’s public image and philanthropic engagement.
Scholars and collectors note that the cross was created by Garrard, a house with a century-long association with significant royal commissions and celebrated for its meticulous craftsmanship. Its estimated value today ranges between £80,000 and £120,000, reflecting both its exquisite design and the enduring appeal of Diana’s jewelry repertoire. The total diamond weight of the cross is about 5.25 carats, a measure that signals the piece’s visual impact on the wearer and its desirability on the market. After Diana’s untimely death, the cross was kept from public display for many years, adding to its aura as a private artifact that later reemerged in the auction world as a historical treasure.
The forthcoming sale in London, running from January 6 to January 18, is expected to draw international attention from collectors, institutions, and those who simply appreciate the cross as a symbol of a transformative era in royal fashion. Auction houses often frame such pieces as much for their emotional resonance as for their monetary value, inviting bidders to own a fragment of history that also represents a broader conversation about how royal jewelry intersects with artistry, charity, and memory. The cross’s story—its origins, its associations with Diana, its charitable moment, and its long arc toward the auction block—offers a narrative that resonates across generations and markets, including Canada and the United States where interest in royal artifacts remains robust.
Note on provenance and cataloging is careful, ensuring that the cross is documented with the same rigor that marks other high-profile royal pieces. The auction’s timing in early January positions it within a season of significant global sales, where pieces with a strong story tend to attract both attention and competitive bidding. While the exact bidding dynamics will unfold in London, the cross’s public trajectory—from Garrard workshop to Regent Street, from personal favorite to charitable symbol, then to the auction block—offers a compelling arc for collectors and historians alike, encapsulating a distinctive moment in jewelry history.
For further context, recent trade coverage confirms Sotheby’s commitment to presenting historic jewelry with clear provenance and enduring significance, underscoring how objects like the Attallah Cross resonate with both fashion history and philanthropy. The cross’s journey exemplifies how a single pendant can illuminate a broader narrative about public life, personal style, and the way royal jewelry continues to intrigue new generations of enthusiasts. This sale will be cataloged with care to preserve its significance and to invite informed discussion among collectors, historians, and fans around the world.